Medvedev warns nuclear transfer to Kyiv risks war escalation

Much of the information provided by the Russian state media or Kremlin officials is likely untrue. Such reports may be part of the Russian Federation's information war.

Medvedev stated on his Telegram channel that even the suggestion of transferring nuclear weapons to Kyiv could be seen as a step toward initiating a nuclear conflict with Russia. He added that the actual delivery of such weapons might be regarded as an act of aggression against Russia, as outlined in 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 commented that his grim remark about President Biden, whom he described as reckless and intent on dramatically exiting the world while endangering much of humanity, appears to be becoming a disturbing reality. He questioned the rationale of providing nuclear weapons to a nation engaged in conflict with the world's largest nuclear power.

At the same time, 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 emphasized 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 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 fueling" military actions.

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. After 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.