Russia warns of 'World War 3' if Ukraine joins US-led NATO military alliance

Issuing a stern warning to the US and other NATO military alliances, Russia on Thursday said that the admission of Ukraine to NATO could result in a 'third world war'.

"If Ukraine is admitted into the US-led NATO military alliance, then the conflict in Ukraine would be guaranteed to escalate into World War Three," the deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Alexander Venediktov, told the state TASS news agency in an interview on Thursday, Reuters reported.

"Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three," TASS cited Venediktov as saying.

"Apparently, that's what they are counting on - to create informational noise and draw attention to themselves once again," he said.

Venediktov further warned the West, especially US saying that by helping Ukraine, "they are a direct party to the conflict".

The statement comes following Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky's announcement of a surprise bid for fast-track membership of the military alliance at the end of September.

Notably, Russian President Vladimir Putin had earlier warned the West that he was "not bluffing" when he said he would be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he said was "nuclear blackmail" from major Western powers.

Meanwhile, NATO's secretive Nuclear Planning Group met Thursday as the military alliance presses ahead with plans to hold a nuclear exercise next week as concerns deepen over President Vladimir Putin's insistence that he will use any means necessary to defend Russian territory.

Fourteen NATO member countries will be involved in the exercise, which was planned before Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24.

With the Russian army retreating under the blows of Ukrainian forces armed with Western weapons, Putin raised the stakes by annexing four Ukrainian regions and declaring a partial mobilisation of up to 300,000 reservists to buttress the crumbling front line.

As his war plans have gone awry, Putin has repeatedly signalled that he could resort to nuclear weapons to protect the Russian gains.The threat is also aimed at deterring NATO nations from sending more sophisticated weapons to Ukraine.

(with PTI inputs)