Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned in an op-ed published on Sunday that the Western policy of pouring weapons into Ukraine could lead to “apocalypse.”
“One could continue to pump weapons into the neo-fascist Kiev regime and block any opportunity to revive negotiations,” Medvedev wrote in the Russian newspaper Izvestiya.
“Our enemies are doing just that, not wanting to understand that their goals obviously lead to a total fiasco. Lose for everyone. Collapse. Apocalypse. When the former life will have to be forgotten for centuries, until the smoky blockages cease to emit radiation,” he added.
Last October, President Biden made a similar assessment, warning that the chances of “nuclear armageddon” were higher than at any time since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Despite his acknowledgment, Biden has only escalated US involvement in the war in Ukraine and hasn’t taken steps to reduce tensions with Moscow.
Medvedev, who currently serves as the deputy of the Russian Security Council, has been warning throughout the war that it could spiral into a nuclear conflict between NATO and Russia. Last week, he said that Russia is willing to defend itself with nuclear weapons in comments that came after Russian President Vladimir Putin suspended Moscow’s participation in New START.
New START is the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the US and Russia and limits the deployment of warheads and launchers. Russian officials have stressed Putin’s move is temporary and that the treaty could be restored if the US makes an effort to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine. Putin has also said that the treaty should take into account Britain and France’s nuclear arsenals.