Putin Ally Outlines What Could Trigger Nuclear War

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday outlined what he believes could trigger a nuclear war.

Medvedev was Vladimir Putin's stand-in president between 2008 and 2012 and now serves as deputy head of Russia's Security Council.

In a Telegram post discussing NATO support for Ukraine's military, Medvedev invoked the possibility of nuclear war should Russia be defeated in Ukraine.

"Defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war," said Medvedev, referring to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

Medvedev added: "Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends."

His remarks came ahead of a meeting of Ukraine's allies to discuss sending more weapons to Kyiv to assist its forces in the war. On Friday, Western defense officials from around 50 countries and NATO are set to meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany to discuss the possibility of sending more tanks to Ukraine.

"Tomorrow, at NATO's Ramstein base, the great military leaders will discuss new tactics and strategies, as well as the supply of new heavy weapons and strike systems to Ukraine," wrote Medvedev.

"And this was right after the forum in Davos, where underdeveloped political party-goers repeated like a mantra: 'To achieve peace, Russia must lose,'" he said.

Medvedev said NATO and defense officials should consider the risks of further supporting Ukraine in the conflict.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Ukraine needs a "significant increase" in weapons.

"This is a pivotal moment in the war and the need for a significant increase in support for Ukraine," Stoltenberg told Reuters. "If we want a negotiated peaceful solution tomorrow we need to provide more weapons today."

It's not the first time the former Russian president has warned that a nuclear war could break out amid the conflict in Ukraine.

In July 2022 Medvedev issued a stark warning after the International Criminal Court said it would probe alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine.

"The idea to punish a country that has the largest nuclear arsenal is absurd in and of itself and potentially creates a threat to the existence of mankind," Medvedev said on Telegram at the time.

Putin said in September 2022 that Russia was prepared to use nuclear weapons to defend its "territorial integrity." The topic is still regularly discussed on Russian state TV.

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