Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told Al Jazeera that if unleashed, a Third World War would be waged with the use of nuclear weapons and it would be disastrous.

Late last week, US President Joe Biden argued that the only alternative to sanctioning Russia to punish it for its “invasion” of Ukraine would be the start of a Third World War. The claims were followed by Washington and its Western allies imposing new sanctions on Russia, which included closing their airspace to all Russian flights and sanctioning a number of Russian banks and officials.

Lavrov said that Moscow is preparing for the second round of talks with Kiev, but that the Ukrainian side is dragging its feet at the behest of Washington.

“We are ready for the second round of the negotiations, but the Ukrainian side is playing for time on the US’ orders”, Lavrov pointed out.

He spoke after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Russian delegation will wait for the Ukrainian negotiators at the site of the talks late in the evening on Wednesday.

Peskov earlier confirmed that presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky remains the main Russian negotiator in Russia’s talks with Ukraine.

The statement followed Russian and Ukrainian officials wrapping up the first round of talks in the Gomel region of Belarus on Monday. The talks are aimed at finding a way to end the Ukraine conflict.

Vladimir Medinsky told reporters that during the negotiations, the sides managed to find “some common points on which we predict common positions can be found”. He said that the sides had agreed on the second round of negotiations, due in Belarus later this week.

Source: Agencies