Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson that Moscow does not want war with the United States of America (USA), but will use "all means to defend its interests."
Lavrov said that while Russia and the US are not officially at war, Washington's permission for Ukraine to use longer-range US missiles to strike Russian territory represents a dangerous escalation.
"It is obvious that the Ukrainians could not do what they are doing with modern long-range weapons without the direct participation of American soldiers," Lavrov said, adding that the West's belief that "Russia's red lines could be moved again" is a very serious mistake. .
Lavrov, the world's longest-serving foreign minister who has held the post for 20 years, said Russia's recent strike on Ukraine with a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile called Oreshnik was a signal to the West that Russia was ready to use all means to achieve its goals in Ukraine.
"The message we wanted to send by testing this hypersonic system in real action is that we will be ready to do anything to defend our legitimate interests," he said.
"The United States and its allies, who are also providing these long-range weapons to the Kiev regime, must understand that we would be ready to use any means to prevent them from succeeding in what they call a strategic defeat of Russia," Lavrov added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the Nov. 21 Oreshnik attack as a response to Ukraine's strikes on Russian military facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions with Western-supplied weapons.
Putin stated that in the event of new attacks on Russia with longer-range Western weapons, Russia could use the "Oreshnik" to hit the government district in Kiev.
He also warned that Russia could use the new missile to attack military facilities of Kiev's Western allies who allow Ukraine to use its weapons to attack Russian territory.
Putin hailed the effectiveness of Russia's new missiles, saying they were immune to interception by any existing air defense systems.
The head of Russia's missile forces said the missile, which can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, has a range that allows it to reach all of Europe.
Lavrov said Russia had issued a warning to the US about the Oreshnik launch 30 minutes before it happened using an automated system used to exchange such notifications.
He said there was no thought at all "of war with the United States, which will take on a nuclear character," but warned that any potential exchange of nuclear strikes between Russia and NATO allies in Europe would inevitably escalate into a wider conflict in which the U.S. will be targeted.
"Talking about a limited exchange of nuclear strikes is an invitation to a catastrophe, which we don't want to have," Lavrov said.
Speaking about the Kremlin's terms for a potential peace deal, he confirmed Putin's demand that Ukraine withdraw its forces from four regions annexed by Russia in September 2022 and abandon its bid to join NATO.
He added that any peace agreement must ensure the rights of Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.
Asked about his view of the newly elected US President Donald Trump, Lavrov described him as "a very strong personality, a person who wants results".
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