Moscow issued a warning: "If we come into conflict with NATO, the consequences will be catastrophic"

The Russian diplomat warned today that the risk of a direct conflict between Russia and the NATO alliance is growing, and that the consequences of such a scenario could be catastrophic.

“Due to the further escalation of tensions, including openly provocative moves in the nuclear sphere, strategic risks are increasing, as is the danger of a direct conflict between NATO and our country, with all the potentially catastrophic consequences this could cause,” Sergei Ryabkov told the Russian state news agency TASS.

Ryabkov is one of Russia’s longest-serving and most influential diplomats, having served as Deputy Foreign Minister since 2008.

Within Russian diplomacy, he is primarily responsible for relations with the United States, NATO, as well as issues of nuclear weapons and strategic arms control.

During his career, he also worked at the Russian embassy in Washington, where he gained a reputation as one of Moscow’s key negotiators with the West.

In recent years, Ryabkov has frequently appeared as one of the hardest-line voices in Russian foreign policy, particularly regarding relations between Moscow and NATO and issues of nuclear security.

He was among the leading Russian officials involved in negotiations with the United States before the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, and has repeatedly warned about the danger of escalation between Russia and the West.

He is also one of Russia’s chief negotiators in the New START Treaty agreement, the most recent major arms-control treaty between Moscow and Washington limiting nuclear arsenals.