Moscow

If West wants to fight for Ukraine on the battlefield, Russia is fully prepared for it, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday (May 13).

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"It's their right - if they want it to be on the battlefield, it will be on the battlefield," state-run news agency RIA cited Lavrov as saying.

Significantly, Russia has intensified its warnings regarding the risks associated with a direct confrontation with NATO, especially after French President Emmanuel Macron declined to dismiss the possibility of deploying Western troops to the region at some stage.

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The Kremlin last week said that sending NATO troops into Ukraine would potentially be extremely dangerous. President Vladimir Putin has said it could lead to World War Three.

Lavrov, who has served two decades as foreign minister, was speaking at a parliamentary hearing on his renomination to the post in a new government being formed after Putin started a fresh six-year term this month.

According to the news agency RIA, Lavrov remarked that the upcoming peace talks on Ukraine scheduled to occur in Switzerland next month, excluding Russia, were akin to issuing an ultimatum to Moscow. 

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He likened the scenario to that of a student receiving a reprimand from teachers, where decisions about their fate are made while they are absent from the discussion. 

"You can't talk to anyone like that, especially to us," Lavrov said. "The conference... boils down to restating an ultimatum to Russia."

(With inputs from agencies)