Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now serving as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, fielded questions from students at the end of the three-day, nationally televised “Knowledge First” marathon. TASS highlighted some of his main points, including on the threat of a nuclear confrontation.
In response to a young student’s question on the prospect of a nuclear strike against Russia, Medvedev responded: “I am often reproached for using tough rhetoric and speaking of a nuclear apocalypse. Unfortunately, it is really possible. Those who don’t realize it are either living in a dream world or fools.”
He went on: “However, we would like to avoid it.” The immediate problem is that current Europeans keep repeating the unfounded mantra that “war with Russia is inevitable…. I don’t know where it came from, but this is a real mantra as they repeat it every day: ‘Russians will definitely attack us’.... These are absolutely destructive, narrow-minded people, who are raving about war with the Russian Federation…. They may be idiots, but they are so stubborn. And ultimately, this is a very dangerous path. So, I’ll put it this way, the current level of relations with Europe is monstrous.”
As for Europe, we don’t have any aggressive plans, said Medvedev. Still, this spiral continues to unfold, with weapons being produced in large numbers, and almost all leaders in Europe, including in its leading countries, claiming: ‘We realize we need to be prepared to repel aggression and war is inevitable.’ You must understand where this path leads, sadly.”
