The admission of Ukraine to NATO could result in a third world war, the deputy secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Alexander Venediktov, told the state TASS news agency in an interview .

“Kyiv is well aware that such a step would mean a guaranteed escalation to a World War Three,” TASS cited Venediktov as saying.

“Apparently, that’s what they are counting on – to create informational noise and draw attention to themselves once again.”

Venediktov also repeated a Russian position that the West, by helping Ukraine, indicated that “they are a direct party to the conflict”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced a surprise bid for fast-track membership of the NATO military alliance at the end of September, after President Vladimir Putin held a ceremony in Moscow to proclaim the four partially occupied regions as annexed Russian land.