Dmitry Medvedev, the Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, struck a defiant tone in an interview with Argumenty i Fakty yesterday, particularly with regard to Crimea. “For us, Crimea is part of Russia, and it’s forever. Any attempt to encroach upon Crimea would be equal to a declaration of war against our country,” Medvedev said, reported TASS. “If a NATO member state makes such a move, it will lead to a conflict against the entire North Atlantic Alliance, World War III, a total disaster.”
Medvedev played down the threat presented by Swedish and Finnish membership in NATO. “The answer is clear,” he said. “Ukraine would be far more dangerous for our country as a NATO member,” Medvedev stressed. He explained, citing Russian President Vladimir Putin, that unsettled territorial disputes and different understandings of territorial statuses were the reason.
Medvedev vowed that Russia will not bend to the pressure being placed upon it. Russia’s opponents expect that either it will bow to them, or its economy will collapse, but this will not happen, he said, reported. “It is clear that all these blockades and bans are long-term ones. Our opponents are waiting for us to either bow to them, or our economy will collapse. They assure their citizens that ‘hellish sanctions’ against Russia are about to bring it to ruin. I have to disappoint them: this is not going to happen,” he said. Medvedev said that the West “underestimates Russia, as usual, or, more precisely, tries wishful thinking.”
