UNITED NATIONS, October 14. /TASS/. Western countries are creating the risk of an armed conflict between nuclear powers, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control Konstantin Vorontsov said.

"This hostile expansion, which involves the creation of a springboard against Russian in Ukraine, has jeopardized Russia’s core interests. When speaking about inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia and drawing deeper into confrontation, the West is teetering on the brink of a direct military clash. This is what is generating the risk of an armed conflict between nuclear powers, while all five nuclear states pledged to prevent it," he stated at a meeting of the UN General Assembly’s First Committee on Disarmament.

"It seems that the US and its allies believe in their ability to keep tensions under control in all circumstances and exert pressure on Russia without damage to themselves. It’s a very dangerous misconception, fraught with disastrous consequences. This is what our signals and warnings to the West are all about. It’s not the language of threats but the classical logic of deterrence," Vorontsov stressed.

The diplomat pointed out that "Russia’s doctrine provisions related to nuclear deterrence are extremely clear; they do not allow for a broad interpretation and are purely focused on defense." Russia’s official statements on the issue don’t go beyond these provisions and are fully in line with our country’s international obligations," Vorontsov concluded.