Russia’s prime diplomat mentioned in an interview with former Fox Information host Tucker Carlson launched Friday that Moscow would not desire a battle with the United States however will use “all means” to defend its pursuits.

Sergey Lavrov argued that whereas Russia and the U.S. are formally not at battle, Washington’s permission for Ukraine to make use of American longer-range missiles for strikes on Russian territory marked a harmful escalation.

“It’s apparent that the Ukrainians wouldn’t be capable of do what they’re doing with long-range trendy weapons with out direct participation of the American servicemen. And that is harmful, little doubt about this,” he mentioned, including that the Western perception that Russia’s crimson strains might be “moved time and again” is “a really critical mistake.”

Lavrov, the world’s longest-serving international minister who has been on the job for 20 years, mentioned {that a} current Russian strike on Ukraine with a brand new hypersonic intermediate vary ballistic missile known as Oreshnik was a sign to the West that Russia is ready to make use of all means to realize its objectives in Ukraine.

“The message which we wished to ship by testing in actual motion this hypersonic system is that we’ll be able to do something to defend our reputable pursuits,” he mentioned. “The US, and the allies of america who additionally present these long-range weapons to the Kyiv regime, they need to perceive that we’d be prepared to make use of any means to not permit them to achieve what they name strategic defeat of Russia.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Nov. 21 assault with Oreshnik as a response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian navy services in Bryansk and Kursk areas with Western-supplied weapons.

He has declared that within the case of latest assaults on Russia with Western longer-range weapons, Russia might use Oreshnik to hit the federal government district in Kyiv. Putin additionally warned that Russia might use the brand new missile to strike navy services of Kyiv’s Western allies that permit Ukraine to make use of their weapons for assaults on Russian territory.

Putin hailed Oreshnik’s functionality, saying that its a number of warheads that plunge to a goal at 10 instances the pace of sound are proof against intercept by any current air protection techniques. Russia’s missile forces chief mentioned that the missile, which may carry typical or nuclear warheads, has a variety permitting it to succeed in all of Europe.

Lavrov mentioned that Russia has issued a warning to the U.S. concerning the Oreshnik launch half-hour earlier than it occurred utilizing an automatic system used to change such advance notices.

He mentioned that “we hate even to consider battle with america, which is able to take nuclear character,” however he warned that any potential change of nuclear strikes between Russia and NATO allies in Europe will inevitably escalate right into a wider battle during which the U.S. shall be focused.

“To talk about restricted change of nuclear strikes is an invite to catastrophe, which we don’t wish to have,” Lavrov mentioned.

Talking concerning the Kremlin circumstances for a possible peace deal, he reaffirmed Putin’s demand that Ukraine ought to pull again its forces from the 4 areas that Russia annexed in September 2022 and surrender its bid to hitch NATO. He added that any peace settlement should safe the rights of Russian audio system in Ukraine.

Requested about his view of Donald Trump, Lavrov described him as “a really sturdy particular person, an individual who needs outcomes, who doesn’t like procrastination on something.”