Medvedev warns of nuclear escalation over arms to Kyiv
The transfer of nuclear weapons to Kyiv by Western countries would be equivalent to preparing an attack on Russia using this type of armament, stated Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation.
Much of the information provided by Russian state media or Kremlin officials is likely untrue. Such reports may be part of an information campaign by the Russian Federation.
Medvedev stated on his Telegram channel that even the threat of providing nuclear weapons to Kyiv could be interpreted as preparation for a nuclear confrontation with Russia. He added that the actual transfer of such weapons could qualify as an act of aggression against Russia under point 19 of the Basic State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence.
He called this idea "absurd," claiming it suggests the existence of "paranoid psychosis" in U.S. President Joe Biden.
The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation's Security Council remarked that his grim joke about President Biden described as an unstable individual intent on exiting the world dramatically while endangering much of humanity, appears to be becoming a disturbing reality. He questioned the logic of transferring nuclear weapons to a nation actively engaged in conflict with the world's largest nuclear power.
Meanwhile, in an interview last Saturday with Al Arabiya television, Medvedev emphasized that Russia does not want to start a nuclear war.
- We would not want something like this to ever happen. There are no madmen in the Russian leadership - he said.
Medvedev stressed that Moscow considers the use of nuclear weapons only as a "last resort," noting that the threshold for their use has been revised due to "existing risks." He also criticized NATO, which, as he stated, "is completely involved" in the Ukrainian conflict. The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council declared that the war could end, but the alliance would have to "stop fuelling" military actions.
Main proponent of the Kremlin's aggressive rhetoric
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Medvedev has become one of the main proponents of the Kremlin's aggressive rhetoric, repeatedly threatening the West with nuclear war and the "end of civilization."
Among the capitals he threatened with a nuclear attack were Washington, Paris, London, and Warsaw. Following the U.S. decision to allow Ukraine to use American long-range missiles against military targets on Russian territory, Medvedev announced a "World War III."
However, outside Russia, his statements are treated with irony. For example, EU foreign service representative Peter Stano previously suggested that Medvedev has mental problems and that with his statements, he is "publicly diagnosing his condition," trying to draw attention to himself.
