Former Russian President and current Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev has issued sharp warnings to new NATO members, including Sweden and Finland. According to him, they have already become potential targets for Moscow and risk "retaliatory strikes with nuclear weapons" in case of a possible military clash. This was reported by the Russian state agency TASS, reports News.bg.
The statement was made during a lecture at the "Knowledge. The First" forum, where Medvedev described the rhetoric of Western leaders as "sweeping Russophobia according to old recipes". According to him, the ideologists of the "collective West" are following schemes from the time of Cold War, and a change in this approach is “unrealistic in the near future“.
Medvedev also interpreted recent statements by former US President Donald Trump as an admission that the US, Europe and Kiev itself are responsible for the war in Ukraine - thus trying to shift the blame from Russia.
His statements come against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between Moscow and the West. The use of nuclear rhetoric by Russian officials has become more frequent in the context of the war in Ukraine and NATO expansion.
Sweden and Finland have officially joined the Alliance, ending their long-standing policy of neutrality - a step taken in response to the growing threat of Russian aggression after the invasion of Ukraine began.