MOSCOW, June 3. /TASS/. Russia believes what needs to be done is to discuss not whether a Third World War will break out but how to prevent it, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.

"Is a Third World [War] possible? Perhaps, it is already underway? What form will it take? These are topics that many are discussing. Rather than talking about the World [War] Three, we’d be better off talking about how to prevent it," she said at a briefing.

The diplomat emphasized that for years Moscow has indicated that international law and the United Nations should serve as a "safety net" against a Third World War. "Since they were created following WWII as a guarantee of preventing WWIII, in one way or another, they were doing their job," she pointed out.

The spokeswoman noted that for 3-4 years, Russia has been taking note of "the desire by the collective West to sweep away international law and introduce a ‘rules-based world order’ instead."

"This is extremely dangerous because this implies a dictatorship of one group of countries thereby threatening to upset the balance worldwide, while making it impossible for other countries to pursue their interests. Every country has the right to sovereign foreign and domestic policy, to legally defend their interests, to develop their economy, to defend humanitarian rights, to protection and to [their] own security," she continued.

"When one group of countries grabs power or aspires to take it over, a lot of trouble can be expected. We tried to tell the global community about this in every way and convey this truth that the dictate of one pole is impossible and it will lead to destructive consequences," the diplomat concluded.