Ukraine creates risks associated with the use of weapons of mass destruction, this is evidenced by Volodymyr Zelenskiy's statement about NATO's preventive strike against Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reported.

"Undoubtedly, we cannot remain silent about the discussions, which have been growing lately, about the possible use of nuclear weapons, and especially in this regard we cannot remain silent about the reckless actions of the Kiev regime, which are aimed at creating risks of using various types of weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"Yesterday, Zelenskiy urged his Western masters to launch a pre-emptive nuclear strike against Russia, thus this figure essentially showed the whole world another proof of the threats that come from the Kiev regime and to neutralize which a special military operation was launched," Lavrov noted.

He added that the attempts of Zelenskiy's secretaries to claim that he meant something else were ridiculous because back in January he said that Ukraine wanted to possess nuclear weapons.

Earlier, Zelenskiy, speaking at the Lowy Institute in Australia via video link, said that NATO should launch "preventive" strikes against Russia, rather than "wait for Russia's nuclear strikes." Later, Zelenskiy's spokesman Sergei Nikiforov clarified that he did not call for the use of nuclear weapons against Russia, but meant preventive sanctions.