From: slider@anashram.com   
      
   Russia has warned of the "real" threat of World War III breaking out,   
   ahead of a Tuesday meeting between the United States and allies over   
   sending further arms to war-torn Ukraine.   
      
   Moscow's invasion of its neighbour has triggered an outburst of support   
    from Western nations that has seen weapons pour into the country to help   
   it wage war against Russian troops.   
      
   But Western powers have been reluctant to deepen their involvement, for   
   fear of sparking a conflict against nuclear-armed Russia.   
      
   Speaking to Russian news agencies, Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov   
   warned the risk of a World War III "is serious" and criticised Kyiv's   
   approach to floundering peace talks   
      
   "It is real, you can't underestimate it," Lavrov said.   
      
   For months, President Volodymyr Zelensky has been asking Ukraine's Western   
   allies for heavy weapons -- including artillery and fighter jets -- vowing   
   his forces could turn the tide of the war with more firepower.   
      
   The calls appear to be resonating now, with a host of NATO countries   
   pledging to provide a range of heavy weapons and equipment, despite   
   protests from Moscow.   
      
   In a landmark trip to Kyiv over the weekend, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin   
   and Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Zelensky and promised $700   
   million in new aid to Ukraine.   
      
   "The first step in winning is believing that you can win," Austin told a   
   group of journalists after meeting the Ukrainian leader.   
      
   "We believe that we can win -- they can win -- if they have the right   
   equipment, the right support."   
      
   And on the invitation of the United States, 40 countries will also hold a   
   security summit in Germany on Tuesday to discuss further arms to Ukraine   
   -- as well as to ensure the country's longer-term security once the war is   
   over.   
      
   Moscow also accused Kyiv of preventing civilians trapped with Ukrainian   
   soldiers in Mariupol's Azovstal steelworks from leaving the besieged   
   industrial complex despite a ceasefire announcement.   
      
   The Russian defence ministry had said it would allow a civilian evacuation   
    from Mariupol's sprawling steel plant, which has been sheltering the   
   remaining Ukrainian resistance in the southeastern port city.   
      
   But the Russian army on Monday evening said no one used the proposed   
   humanitarian corridor.   
      
   "The Kyiv authorities have again cynically undermined this humanitarian   
   operation," it said in a statement, accusing the Ukrainian government of   
   "indifference" towards its citizens.   
      
   https://news.yahoo.com/russia-warns-wwiii-ahead-western-03070925   
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