40 countries are gathered today at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany to bolster military aid to Ukraine

The wider international community, not NATO, is providing military support to Ukraine, said British armed forces minister James Heappey, responding to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's assertions that the Western alliance was "in essence" engaged in a proxy war with Russia.

"The donor community is, not NATO," Heappey told Sky News when asked about Lavrov's comments.

"The donor effort is something that has been brought together by countries that are yes, many of them are from NATO, but others are from beyond ... it is not NATO that is doing the military aid,"  said Heappey, adding that he did not think there was an "imminent threat" of escalation in Ukraine.

Earlier Lavrov said the risks of nuclear conflict should not be underestimated, but Heappey dismissed the warning as "bravado".