Russia’s former President Dmitry Medvedev says confrontation with the West will “last decades,” warning against a “quite probable” nuclear conflict.
Medvedev, the deputy head of President Vladimir Putin's Security Council, said in an article published in the government-affiliated newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta that an apocalyptic scenario is not only possible but also quite likely.
He has repeatedly warned that Western support for Ukraine could make the risk of a nuclear conflict irresistible – a conflict Medvedev believes would have no winners.
The former Russian president said the potential decades-long conflict could be checked if the two sides engage in serious negotiations.
Medvedev pointed to significant disagreements over Ukraine and the structure of the world order as sources of tension.
Since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and its Western allies have been providing Kiev with military equipment worth tens of billions of dollars.
The supplied arms include rocket systems, drones, tanks and armored vehicles and communication systems as reports also indicate a probable supply of F-16 fighter jets.
Medvedev said the conflict in Ukraine could become “permanent” given its existential significance to Moscow.
The West has committed to standing by Kiev for as long as necessary, despite warnings from Moscow that the military assistance will only prolong the conflict.
Medvedev also reiterated Moscow's commitment to preventing Ukraine from joining NATO. He said the goal is to eliminate the threat of Ukraine's NATO membership, and Moscow will achieve it “one way or another.”
President Vladimir Putin has also railed against the West for driving NATO's eastward expansion, especially its courting of ex-Soviet republics such as Ukraine and Georgia.
Ukraine was last offered NATO membership in 2008 on the condition it met the terms set out in a Membership Action Plan.