Putin's Mouthpiece Warns Of 'Guaranteed Escalation To The Third World War' If Ukraine Joins NATO

Vladimir Putin's mouthpiece said Ukraine's admission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could result in World War III.

What Happened: "Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three," the deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Alexander Venediktov, on Thursday told the state TASS news agency in an interview.

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"Apparently, that's what they are counting on — to create informational noise and draw attention to themselves once again," Venediktov added.

He also repeated Putin's claims that the West, by helping Kyiv, indicated that "they are a direct party to the conflict."

This came after Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, last month, announced a surprise bid to fast-track NATO military alliance membership, striking back at Moscow after Putin held a ceremony at the Kremlin for the annexation of four regions in Ukraine.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump also warned that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could morph into "World War III" and that the U.S. should be urging for peace between the two countries.

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