Russia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry says confrontation with the West is "quite real", not in Russia’s interests

This was stated by the Deputy Director of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Ivan Nechaev, Interfax reports.

“Russia has never rattled off weapons, especially nuclear ones. But the events in Ukraine (...) clearly show that a clash with the collective West is quite real,” he said during the briefing.

However, he emphasized that a direct confrontation with the US and NATO is not in the interests of the Russian Federation.

"Russian military doctrine allows a nuclear response only in response to aggression with the use of weapons of mass destruction or when the very existence of the state is threatened," Nechayev said.