Russia sees the US intention to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as a nuclear threat by the West, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Lenta.ru on Wednesday. 

When asked how he viewed the use of nuclear weapons by Russia in the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov answered the topic had been discussed many times and would have been closed if not for the actions of the West, which he claimed forced Russia to point out the risks of a strategic nature. 

He stressed the “US and its NATO satellites create risks of a direct armed conflict with Russia, and this may have catastrophic consequences."

Lavrov cited the US plan to transfer F-16 fighter jets capable of using nuclear weapons to Ukraine as an example of an "extremely dangerous development of events". 

He stressed the nuclear powers - the USA, Great Britain and France - had been informed that Russia could not “ignore this and will not take any assurances”.