Russia warns the West not to 'play with fire'.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on May 28 that the United States and its allies are "playing with fire" by increasing support for Ukraine amid the escalating conflict, including plans to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Source: AFP

In an interview with Russia 1 TV, Lavrov said: “This is an unacceptable escalation. There are countries in the West that understand this, but everything is decided by the US, the UK and some of their satellite states in Europe.”

According to Lavrov, it is Poland and the Baltic states such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia that are "carrying out the goal set by the US to weaken Russia, aiming to inflict a strategic defeat on Moscow."

The Russian diplomat warned that some Western countries "have discussed the partition of our country," but "this is nothing short of playing with fire." Foreign Minister Lavrov noted that the assessment by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US, General Mark Milley, that "in the near future," Ukraine will find it difficult to regain the territories lost to Russia, is "an assessment that closely reflects the situation on the ground."

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been urging Western countries to transfer F-16 fighter jets to his country for months, arguing that they are crucial to helping Ukraine defend its airspace amid increased Russian airstrikes on military facilities and energy infrastructure.