Sergei Ryabkov says conflict between Russia and the West is unprecedented in history

A senior Russian diplomat stated on Thursday that the ongoing conflict between Russia and the West regarding Ukraine is unprecedented in history, warning that any misstep could result in disaster. This comment was made in response to inquiries about parallels with the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

The war in Ukraine, which has persisted for two and a half years and is the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II, has escalated tensions between Russia and the West. Russian officials assert that the situation is now entering its most perilous phase.

In the past, Russian diplomats have drawn comparisons to the 1962 crisis, a time when Cold War superpowers were believed to be on the brink of nuclear conflict due to Moscow’s covert deployment of missiles in Cuba. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov emphasized to reporters in Moscow that the current circumstances are without historical precedent. He cautioned that the risk of an armed confrontation between nuclear powers should not be taken lightly.

He stated, “We are navigating uncharted military and political waters.” Ryabkov expressed that a misstep at this critical moment could lead to catastrophic outcomes, while also questioning whether Western leaders are capable of accurately evaluating the repercussions of their actions.

For weeks, Russia has cautioned the United States and its allies that permitting Ukraine to launch strikes deep into Russian territory using Western-supplied missiles would be viewed as a significant escalation by Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been advocating for months for Kyiv’s allies to allow Ukraine to deploy Western missiles, including long-range U.S. ATACMS, into Russian territory to diminish Moscow’s capacity to conduct attacks. On September 12, President Vladimir Putin remarked that Western endorsement of such actions would signify “the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States, and European nations in the conflict in Ukraine.”

The leader of the Kremlin has revised Russia’s nuclear policy, establishing a marginally reduced threshold for the use of nuclear weapons in reaction to various circumstances. In response, Zelenskiy has called on Western nations to ignore Russia’s declared “red lines,” a sentiment echoed by some of the United States’ allies.

However, Russia, recognized as the largest nuclear power globally, has labeled this approach as misguided.