Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council, said on Tuesday that Moscow will do all it can to prevent the emergence of nuclear weapons in Russia’s hostile neighbors, such as Ukraine, adding that the security of Washington, London and Brussels is more important to NATO than The fate of “perishable Ukraine” is one that no one needs.
Medvedev’s comments come at a time when the world’s attention is focused on the annexation referendum overseen by Moscow. The annexation of separatist regions of Ukraine to Russia, amid angry reactions from the West, may deepen the crisis with Moscow.
Emphasizing that his country has the right to use nuclear weapons if necessary, the Russian official noted that Moscow must respond if the Russian threat crosses a red line, stressing that this is not a trick. .
Medvedev’s comments come as Ukrainian and Russian forces are engaged in heavy fighting in various parts of Ukraine, with Russia holding referendums on four Ukrainian regions it hopes to annex, while Ukraine and the world await their fate. .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Donetsk region in the east remains a strategic priority for his country as well as Russia, while fighting has intensified in several cities as Russian forces try to advance south and west, Reuters reported.
Clashes also broke out in northeastern Kharkiv region, the center of Ukraine’s counteroffensive this month, as Ukrainian forces continued their campaign to destroy four bridges and other river crossings aimed at disrupting supply lines for Russian forces in the south.
Moscow hopes to annex the regions of Kherson, Luhansk, Donetsk and Zaporizhia in the east and south, which make up about 15 percent of Ukraine.
None of those areas are fully under Moscow’s control, and fighting continues along the entire frontline, as Ukrainian forces have announced further advances since defeating Russian forces in the fifth district, Kharkiv, earlier this month.
It should be noted that Russia launched an attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and it was followed by international rejection and severe economic sanctions against Moscow, which stipulated that Moscow abandon the program of joining military institutions and remain neutral. which this country considers “intervention”. In his sovereignty, to end his operations
Source: Lebanon Debate
