Russia's Medvedev warns of nuclear response if West gives Ukraine nuclear weapons

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia will be forced to use non-strategic nuclear weapons if Britain and France provide Ukraine with atomic warheads, said the deputy head of Moscow’s Security Council on Tuesday.

Writing on the Max messenger app, Dmitry Medvedev said information from Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) about the intentions of London and Paris to transfer nuclear technology to Kyiv "radically changes the situation."

Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012, while current President Vladimir Putin was the country’s prime minister, stressed that such actions would constitute "a direct transfer of nuclear weapons to a belligerent country."

"There can be no shadow of a doubt that in such a scenario, Russia will have to use any type of weapon, including non-strategic nuclear weapons, against targets in Ukraine that pose a threat to our country. And, if necessary, for the supplier countries that become complicit in the nuclear conflict with Russia. This is the symmetrical response that the Russian Federation is entitled to," he stressed.

In a separate statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the reported plans are significant "from the point of view of the threat it poses to the entire non-proliferation regime, including in the context of the heated conflict that is taking place in Europe, on the European continent."

"This is a blatant violation of all norms and principles and relevant acts of international law," he said.

On Tuesday, the SVR accused Britain and France of intending to provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons, alleging that such a step could strengthen Kyiv's position in peace talks.