Dmitry Medvedev said everyone must work to prevent the end of humanity. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that nobody should forget about situations that could force Russia to use nuclear weapons, but stressed that no one wants nuclear war. Relations between Moscow and the West have soured to the lowest level since the launch of the Russian military offensive in Ukraine in late February. Russia has warned the US and its allies that sending more weapons to Ukraine could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Medvedev, who is currently Chairman of the Russian Security Council, said that while he doesn't want to scare anyone, when people say something is impossible, because it is never possible, they are always wrong. He said that the world has seen the use of nuclear weapons by none other than the Americans. Referring to Russian nuclear doctrine, Medvedev stated that Russia's commander-in-chief the president can order a nuclear strike in several scenarios, for example if Russia or its critical infrastructure is targeted by a nuclear strike.
In the event that Russia was subject to a strike by conventional weapons, there might be another reason that it is of such a nature that it threatens the existence of the state itself. Medvedev said that nobody should forget about this either.
He urged other countries to make decisions by taking into account all the realities. Medvedev stressed that no one wants a war. In April, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that the risks of nuclear war are quite significant. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin blasted Lavrov's comments as very dangerous and unhelpful. Nobody wants to see a nuclear war happen. It is a war where all sides lose, Austin said.
President Joe Biden, as well as senior US officials insist that they are not sending Ukraine weapons capable of striking Russia, it was confirmed this week that Kiev will receive HIMARS multiple rocket launchers from Washington. These systems can fire barrage rockets with an effective range of around 30 km, but can also deploy tactical ballistic missiles with a range of up to 300 km.
Russia attacked the neighboring state in late February, after Ukraine s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists that the Russian offensive was unprovoked and has denied that it was planning to retake the two republics by force.