Russian official warns of "World War- III" if Ukraine joins NATO military alliance

    photo:reuters Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy

If Ukraine is admitted into the U.S.-led NATO military alliance, then the conflict in Ukraine would be guaranteed to escalate into World War Three, a Russian Security Council official was quoted as saying on Thursday.

Just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin formally proclaimed the annexation of up to 18% of Ukraine on Sept. 30, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of NATO.

Since all 30 countries of the organisation would need to agree, full NATO membership for Ukraine is still in the future.

According to Alexander Venediktov, the deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, "Kyiv is well aware that such a step would entail a guaranteed escalation to World War Three."

Venediktov, a close supporter of Putin and deputy to the Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, asserted that he believed Ukraine's bid to join NATO was propaganda since the West was aware of the implications.

"NATO members themselves understand the suicidal nature of such a measure," he warned.

President Vladimir Putin has criticised the United States for pushing NATO's eastward expansion on numerous occasions, particularly for its courtship of former Soviet nations like Ukraine and Georgia that Russia views as being inside its own sphere of influence.

On September 21, Putin issued a warning to the West, stating that he was serious when he indicated he would be prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend Russia against what he called "nuclear blackmail" from powerful Western nations.

According to U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, the chance of nuclear Armageddon is greater than it has been since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. The annual NATO "Steadfast Noon" nuclear readiness drill is scheduled for next week.

The majority of nuclear warheads in the world are controlled by Russia and the United States, making them by far the two nuclear superpowers.

Zelenskiy's proposal for preemptive military action against Russia, according to Venediktov, is perilous since a nuclear war would have disastrous effects on the entire world.

We must keep in mind that a nuclear conflict will have an impact on every nation on Earth, not only Russia and the entire West, according to Venediktov. "All of mankind would suffer the repercussions,"