Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian negotiating delegation involved in talks with Ukraine, warned that "if Ukraine joins the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it will trigger a nuclear war."

Medinsky noted in an interview with the Russian media RT on the 9th (local time) that "if there is no agreement on genuine peace and only a ceasefire agreement is reached, this region will become like Karabakh, which is the conflict area between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

The Karabakh region is part of Azerbaijan's territory, but it is currently occupied by ethnic Armenian self-governing forces. The two countries have been engaged in violent conflict over territorial claims since 1980.

On the 9th, people walk among relatives holding photos of a Ukrainian soldier who goes missing after the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine in the Chernihiv region of Ukraine. /Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

Medinsky claimed that the lands in eastern and southern Ukraine occupied by Russia could become "a vast Karabakh."

He said, "After some time, Ukraine will attempt to reclaim this land by joining NATO," adding that "this will lead to a nuclear war that causes the end of the world."

Medinsky added that "the current leadership of Ukraine wants conflict to maintain their grip on power."

This statement is interpreted as a reaffirmation of Russia's desire for permanent control over the occupied territories and its unwillingness to accept merely a ceasefire.

Medinsky emphasized that "Moscow does not want to create a vast Karabakh that nobody recognizes and provide a pretext for a nuclear war," stating, "We want to conclude a comprehensive peace and have new territories recognized."