Russia claims world facing ‘even more dangerous’ period than Cold War

A string of UN Security Council members, including the United States, France and Britain, condemn Russia for its war on Ukraine during meeting

Sergei Lavrov, left, and Antonio Guterres in New York on Monday (Getty)

The risk of conflict between global powers is at an “historic high” thanks to the invasion of Ukraine, the head of the UN has said, while Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has warned the world is at a threshold “possibly even more dangerous” than during the Cold War.

United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres spoke seated next to Mr Lavrov in the UN Security Council. Mr Lavrov chaired the meeting because Russia holds the council’s monthly rotating presidency for April.

“As during the Cold War, we have reached the dangerous, possibly even more dangerous, threshold,” Mr Lavrov said. “The situation is worsened with the loss of trust in multilateralism.”