New Delhi, Mar 5 (IANS): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not rule out that Ukraine President Vladimir Zelensky is trying to provoke a conflict between Russia and NATO, as evidenced by his "militaristic frenzy".

"He was a little rude to his curators, accusing them of inaction. I wonder if he was so upset that NATO didn't stand up for him as he had hoped. So he still relies on the settlement of the conflict by involving NATO in this whole story? Not through negotiations?

"It turns out that he does not hear the constant statements that are heard from Washington, from Paris, from Berlin, and from other capitals that NATO is not going to interfere in this conflict," the minister said after a meeting with Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Ruslan Kazakbaev, RT reported.

It turns out that Zelensky "still seeks to provoke" a conflict between NATO and Russia, he noted.

"If he was in such a mood when he woke up yesterday, then... Such a militaristic frenzy of his, of course, suggests that he does not need negotiations. But let's hope that his mood can change, he is a man of moods. Let's hope," Lavrov concluded.

Earlier, Zelensky had said that the NATO alliance deliberately refused to close the sky over Ukraine.

According to him, the countries of the alliance have created a narrative that "closing the skies over Ukraine will provoke direct Russian aggression against NATO".