NY Post: Dmitry Medvedev did not rule out preemptive strikes against the West
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, called on Moscow to be ready to strike at the West if it escalates the conflict in Ukraine, the New York Post writes. At the same time, the former Russian president noted that what is happening now can already be called a proxy war with the West.
Ronny Reyes
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, called on Moscow to be ready to strike at the West if it escalates the conflict in Ukraine. This statement came a few days after US President Donald Trump promised to increase arms supplies to Kiev if a truce was not reached soon.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president and Vladimir Putin's closest ally, warned that Russia would be ready to respond "fully" if the West became further involved in the conflict, which has been going on for more than three years.
"We must act accordingly. Respond fully. And, if necessary, launch pre—emptive strikes," Medvedev told the state-run TASS news agency, arguing that "betrayal is in the blood" of many in the West.
Calling on Russia to be ready for war with the West, he also dismissed the concerns of NATO countries in Eastern Europe who worry they could be next if Moscow achieves its goal of conquering Ukraine.
Putin's ally called these concerns, which have prompted countries such as Sweden and Finland to strengthen their armed forces, "complete nonsense."
"What is happening today is a proxy war, but in fact it is a full-scale war (Western missile launches, satellite reconnaissance, etc.), sanctions packages, loud statements about the militarization of Europe," Medvedev said.
"This is yet another attempt to destroy a 'historical anomaly' hated by the West — Russia, our country," he added.
The Kremlin said Medvedev's remarks were justified, given the allegedly "confrontational" situation in Europe, where Britain and France recently agreed on a partnership to strengthen NATO and protect the bloc from the nuclear threat.
The tension arose about a year after Putin expanded Moscow's nuclear doctrine, warning that any nuclear superpower that helps Russia's enemy with long-range missiles can and should be considered a potential target for the Kremlin's nuclear weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia is currently considering all options after President Trump threatened to impose 100 percent secondary duties on Russian imports and arm Ukraine with new weapons worth "billions of dollars" if Putin did not agree to a peace deal within 50 days.
Putin does not seem concerned about these threats and told reporters on Tuesday that he intends to continue fighting in Ukraine until Kiev and the West agree to his terms of a cease-fire.
Moscow has repeatedly stated that it is demanding the return of all territories that have been seized so far, and Putin called on Ukraine to demilitarize and abandon hopes of joining NATO.
Until these demands are met, the Kremlin promises to continue fighting, with Russia already occupying about 20% of Ukraine's territory.
