MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Defense Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Tuesday that if the West gave nuclear weapons to Ukraine then Moscow could see such a transfer as an attack on Russia, giving rise to a nuclear response.
The New York Times reported last week that some anonymous Western officials had said that US President Joe Biden could give Ukraine nuclear weapons, despite fears that such a move would have consequences.
“American politicians and journalists are seriously discussing the consequences of the transfer of nuclear weapons to Kyiv,” Medvedev, who served as Russia’s president from 2008 to 2012, said on Telegram.
Reliable and interesting news every day, in your inbox
See for yourself – The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and interesting stories.
Medvedev said that even the threat of nuclear weapons deployment could be seen as preparation for nuclear war with Russia.
“The actual shipment of such weapons can be compared to an attack on our country,” said a Russian nuclear official.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Mark Trevelyan)