Washington and its allies mistakenly believe that Russia will never cross the line of using nuclear weapons, former President Dmitry Medvedev stated in an exclusive interview with RT on Saturday.
Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, suggested that current Western leaders are not as forward-thinking as their predecessors and fail to take into account Russia’s willingness to defend its existence using all means at its disposal.
”They have made a miscalculation, since they are not of the brightest kind… For some reason they think that Russians will never cross a certain line. They are wrong. If it comes down to the existence of our state, as the president of our country has repeatedly said… we will simply have no choice,” Medvedev said.
He stressed that any person who serves as president of a nuclear-armed state takes on the obligation to defend their country “to the last man,” and suggested that current Western leaders such as French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz “lack the acumen and subtlety of mind” of their predecessors.
”The political class is degenerating, technocrats are coming in and they cannot understand how politics function. This is a disaster,” Medvedev stated.
In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed amending the country’s nuclear doctrine. The changes would allow Moscow to treat an attack by a non-nuclear nation – including Ukraine – backed by a nuclear nation as a joint threat when deciding whether to retaliate with nuclear weapons.
The president has also warned that Western permission for Ukraine to conduct long-range strikes on Russia’s territory would equate to NATO “waging war” against Russia.
Earlier this week, the Russian military held an exercise of its strategic deterrent forces, which involved test-launches of cruise and intercontinental ballistic missiles. According to the Russian president, the drills were needed to maintain the country’s nuclear forces at a “sufficient level” to ensure the country can protect its territory and citizens.
At the same time, the president stressed that Moscow had no intention of getting involved in a new “arms race” and that Russia maintains its position that the use of nuclear weapons is a “last resort” for ensuring national security.
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