Medvedev's nuclear warning: Rhetoric or real threat?
The transfer of nuclear weapons to Kyiv by Western countries would be tantamount 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 not true. Such reports may be part of an information war by the Russian Federation.
"The mere threat of transferring nuclear weapons to the Kyiv regime can be perceived as preparing for a nuclear conflict with Russia. The actual transfer of such armaments can be considered an act of aggression against our country within the meaning of point 19 of the Basic State Policy on Nuclear Deterrence," wrote Medvedev on his Telegram channel.
He called this idea "absurd," claiming it suggests the existence of "paranoid psychosis" in U.S. President Joe Biden.
"It seems that my sad joke about the crazy old man Biden, who decided to spectacularly leave this world taking a significant part of humanity with him, is starting to turn into a terrifying reality. Transfer nuclear weapons to a country that is at war with the largest nuclear power?" asked the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation rhetorically.
At the same time, in an interview last Saturday with Al Arabiya television, Medvedev emphasised that Russia does not want to start a nuclear war.
- We would very much not like this to ever happen. There are no lunatics in the Russian leadership - he said.
Medvedev emphasised 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 simultaneously criticised NATO, which, as he stated, "is completely involved" in the Ukrainian conflict. The war could end, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council declared, 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 civilisation."
Among the capitals he threatened with a nuclear attack were Washington, Paris, London, and Warsaw. After the U.S. decision to permit 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 instance, 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.
