A former Russian President has warned the Kremlin will issue a “preemptive nuclear strike” against Ukraine and its Western allies, including the United Kingdom, if the defending nation is provided with their own warheads. Dmitry Medvedev, who was President from 2008 to 2012, between Vladimir Putin’s two autocratic rules, said during a trip to Vietnam that the West was failing to grasp Russia’s willingness to bring about nuclear war.
After the Fighter Jet coalition was announced last week, meaning US-made F-16s could be making their way into Ukraine this year, Medvedev suggested the West should refrain from escalating its support any further.
Medvedev, who is now deputy head of Putin’s security council, said: “There are some irreversible rules of war.
“If it comes to [deliveries of] nuclear weapons [to Ukraine], a preemptive strike will have to be carried out.”
Calling on the West to take his remarks seriously, he added: “It will mean that a missile with a nuclear warhead will come flying to them.”
via joemiller
