Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov linked the escalation of nuclear rhetoric from Western countries ahead of Ukraine peace talks to their disappointment over failing to achieve Russia's defeat. As the Russian Foreign Ministry head explained in a conversation with journalists, Western claims that Ukraine is winning do not match reality, yet the goal Western countries have set for themselves is for Russia to lose. In the minister's view, this mismatch between their desires and actual events is what provokes such a sharp reaction.
