World War III may begin if Ukraine loses war with Russia - Ukraine's PM

Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)

If Ukraine loses the war against Russia, it could ultimately trigger the onset of the World War III, according to the Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.

According to him, if Ukraine falls, then "the global system of security will be destroyed" forcing the world to find a new system of security. "Or, there will be many conflicts, many such kinds of wars, and in the end of the day, it could lead to the Third World War," added the Prime Minister.

Shmyhal expressed "careful optimism" regarding the possibility of the US Congress allocating $61 billion to Kyiv. The House of Representatives is set to vote on the package this Saturday.

"We need this money yesterday, not tomorrow, not today," Shmyhal said regarding US security assistance.

As noted by BBC, this isn't the first time Ukraine has issued such alarming warnings about the consequences of its potential defeat. Last year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that if Russia wins the war, it could then invade Poland, triggering the Third World War.

Previously, Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said that Ukraine could emerge victorious in the war against Russia. "All we need now is consistent provision with the necessary resources in both the military and financial spheres to equalize resources, withstand, and win the war," he said.

According to him, this year the Ukrainian government was forced to spend an additional $4 billion on arms purchases due to a lack of promised assistance from partners.