Lavrov has said Russia, which launched a special military operation against Ukraine last week, faces a “real threat” if Kyiv acquires a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Russian officials are set to hold a second round of talks with Ukraine on Wednesday, but it is not clear whether Ukrainian officials will come, the Kremlin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said there was conflicting information about the talks, which would take place on Monday after a meeting on the Belarusian border that failed to produce a breakthrough.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday that Russia should stop bombing Ukrainian cities before Russia can hold further talks on an attack on its country.
Another news agency TASS quoted Sergei Lavrov as saying today that Russia would not allow Ukraine to acquire nuclear weapons.
Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine last week in what it called a special campaign to demilitarize and “deny” the country, rejecting justifications dismissed as propaganda by Kyiv and the West.
According to an Interfax report, Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that its forces had captured Kherson, a port in Ukraine. The government in Kyiv did not confirm the information, but said overnight that troops were moving towards the city.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday used his first State of the Union address to label Vladimir Putin a “tyrant” and said the Russian president would pay a high price for his invasion of Ukraine. Biden also spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the escalation of attacks.
Oil climbed above $110 a barrel as traders began boycotting Russian crude even without energy restrictions. European natural gas set a new record – rising by 60% – once again raising the prospect of industrial blackouts in the region. And disruption in food prices is set to soar as wheat and corn storm.
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