NATO policy risks 'direct clash' between nuclear powers says Russia's Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday (December 5) that NATO was a "serious threat" to Russia, and the West's positions risked a "direct clash between nuclear powers with catastrophic consequences."

Lavrov also said he regretted that the U.S. had rejected talks with Moscow over "strategic stability" - a host of issues related to nuclear weapons - and said that without direct talks between the world's two largest nuclear powers, the risk to global security would only grow.