Lavrov says Russia has no thoughts of nuclear war

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday said that Russia has no intention of nuclear war, saying Moscow is prepared to press on in its invasion of Ukraine until “the end.”

“The thought of nuclear is constantly spinning in the heads of Western politicians but not in the heads of Russians,” Lavrov said, according to Reuters. “I assure you that we will not allow any kind of provocation to unbalance us.”

Lavrov made the remarks during an interview on state television.

The minister added that he was certain a solution would be found and said that Ukrainian and Russian officials were preparing to engage in a second round of peace talks.

He also said that Moscow would not allow Ukraine to keep infrastructure that could threaten Russia, Reuters reported, noting that Russia could not allow anyone to undermine its interests. He said that the Kremlin does not feel politically isolated.

While Lavrov said that Russian troops had been strictly ordered to deploy high-precision weapons to destroy military infrastructure, Ukrainian forces have accused Russia’s military of targeting civilian areas in attacks that have resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 Ukrainian people.

Lavrov also accused the U.S. of being concerned about the loss of control regarding what he called chemical and biological laboratories in Ukraine, and he added that Britain was building military bases in the region. He did not provide any evidence for those assertions.

Meanwhile, Lavrov has also said that Russia had submitted its demands to Ukrainian negotiators and is awaiting a response ahead of more peace talks set to take place on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.