Russia seeks to reduce existing “serious” risks of nuclear war – Lavrov

(Reuters) – Russia stands for ruling out the threat of nuclear conflicts despite high risks at the moment and wants to reduce all chances of “artificially” elevating those risks, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a television interview aired late on Monday.

“This is our key position on which we base everything. The risks now are considerable,” Lavrov told Russia’s state television, based on a transcript provided on the ministry’s website.

“I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real, And we must not underestimate it.”

(Reporting by Ronald Popeski in Winnipeg and Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Writing by Ronald Popeski; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)