"Russia has to fight not only Ukraine but also, to a certain extent, the collective West, primarily opposing these arms deliveries. However, there's a thin line that the West could cross, and that's very dangerous," he told an Egyptian news channel.
The diplomat said the West should avoid any escalation and, at some point, "halt its [arms] supplies to Ukraine and adopt a realistic position."
The worst-case scenario, he explained, would be for Ukraine to go bankrupt. An alternative would be to launch peace negotiations. He said Kiev was already under pressure to engage in the talks.
"If the arming of Ukraine continues and if the attacks and hostilities from Ukraine persist, it will lead to Ukraine becoming a failed state [...]. Alternatively, there could be genuinely realistic peace negotiations," the diplomat said.
Kelin welcomed efforts by African nations and China to mediate an end to the conflict in Ukraine, which he said were all positive, although "so far, there's no initiative that provides a realistic way out of this crisis."
He said a realistic proposal should account for the facts on the ground and include guarantees that Ukraine would never become a threat to Russia and that Kiev would respect the rights of the Russian-speaking minority.