Dmitri Medvedev: Only Russia’s nuclear weapons prevent the West from declaring war
Russia’s nuclear arsenal and the rules Moscow has laid down for its use are the only factors preventing the West from launching a war against Russia, a top ally of President Vladimir Putin has said in one article published on Sunday, Reuters reports.
Former President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, also said Moscow will continue its war in Ukraine until the “disgusting, almost fascist regime” in Kyiv is removed and the country fully demilitarized. In an interview aired separately on Sunday, Putin said Russia is ready to negotiate with all parties involved in the war, but said Kyiv and its Western backers have refused to take part in talks. Medvedev, who once posed as a liberal modernizer as president from 2008 to 2012, is one of the most combative supporters of the war. He regularly denounces the West, which he accuses of wanting to break up Russia in favor of Ukraine. “Is the West ready to unleash a full-fledged war against us, including nuclear war, at the hands of Kiev?” He wrote a 4,500-word article for the Rossiiskaya Gazeta newspaper. “The only thing stopping our enemies today is the understanding that Russia is guided by the principles of state policy… on nuclear deterrence. And if a real threat arises, it will act against it.” Putin and other senior officials have repeatedly said that Russia’s nuclear weapons policy dictates that they can be used where there is a threat to territorial integrity. According to experts, Russia has the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with almost 6,000 warheads.
