TEHRAN, May 28 (MNA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov slammed plans by Western countries to send F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine as an unacceptable escalation.

"Certainly, this is an unacceptable escalation. I hope there are sensible people in the West who understand that," Lavrov told the "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" TV show, an excerpt of which was posted by reporter Pavel Zarubin on Telegram on Sunday.

According to Lavrov, "Western political analysts have been discussing how to decolonize Russia." "They mean dividing our country. I hope sensible people will abandon their reckless support for the neo-Nazi regime which was created by the West itself," Russia’s top diplomat added, TASS reported.

On May 21, US President Joe Biden said at a news conference following the G7 summit in Hiroshima that the West will start training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and other fourth-generation Western combat aircraft.

MP/PR