Deputy Foreign Minister Russia "should not take the risk of direct clashes with nuclear powers lightly"

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Sergey Ryabkov, said Russia and the West were at an unprecedented confrontation in their history and warned that the possibility of direct clashes between nuclear-armed powers should not be underestimated.

According to Tas news agency and others, Vice Minister Ryabkov told a briefing on the preparations for the BRICS summit on the 3rd local time that "the risk of direct military conflict between nuclear powers should not be downplayed," adding that "what is happening now is historically unprecedented."

Asked to compare the current confrontation between Russia and the West to the nuclear war crisis, which erupted in 1962 during the Cold War when the former Soviet Union attempted to deploy missiles to Cuba close to the United States, Ryabkov responded.

"We are exploring uncharted military and political areas," he said, stressing that "the other party cannot afford to make mistakes, and mistakes can cause disaster."

The vice minister also said there is currently no possibility of Russia negotiating with the United States on strategic stability.

He said the U.S. is urging Russia to engage in dialogue on strategic stability "without preconditions" to strengthen its military superiority, but Moscow "completely rejects" it.

He explained that from Russia's perspective, strategic negotiations cannot be separated from the current military and political situation, saying that the United States is unilaterally trying to claim only what is in its favor.

Russia recently called for Ukraine to be allowed to strike deep into Russian territory with missiles it has received from the West, signaling strong retaliation.

Deputy Minister Ryabkov said he would identify the operations currently being carried out in Ukraine and the causes of the conflict at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, starting on the 22nd.

It also added that, so far, there is no possibility of direct communication with Ukraine, but it is open to constructive proposals to resolve the crisis.