Former Russian President and Vice President of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev confirmed today, Sunday, that his country is intensifying the production of “the most powerful weapons”, alluding to their use against the West.
Medvedev said: “Our enemy is not in the trenches only in the Kyiv province of Little Russia (which is an administrative-territorial unit in the former Russian Empire). It is also present in Europe, North America, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and others.”
“For this reason, we are intensifying the production of the most powerful weapons, including those based on new principles,” he added in a message published this morning on his Telegram account.
The Russian official did not elaborate on these new principles, but they appear to refer to a new generation of hypersonic weapons that Moscow is proud of and has been actively developing in recent years.
The specter of nuclear war has returned since the start of the war in Ukraine in February, highlighting the erosion of the global security architecture built during the Cold War.
Russia’s military setbacks in recent months have raised fears that Moscow is considering using its nuclear arsenal to make a difference on the ground.
This week, however, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed that nuclear weapons are “protection” designed to “strike back” if his country were targeted by those weapons.
Friday also raised the possibility that Russia would amend its military doctrine by adopting the principle of a pre-emptive strike to disarm the enemy.
UK: Peace talks must not be exploited
In another context, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley said on Sunday that any peace talks in Ukraine should not be just a front for Russia’s rearmament, adding that he saw no sign that Moscow would enter into negotiations with good intentions.
Cleverly added that the UK wanted peace talks to take place “as soon as possible”, but reiterated that it was up to Ukraine to set the parameters for any negotiations that took place.
In an interview with the British channel Sky News, he said: “Any negotiations must be real, they must be meaningful. They can’t just be a front for Russia’s rearmament and additional recruitment.”
He continued: “I really do not see any indications from the Russian side that give me confidence that Vladimir Putin will go into these negotiations with good intentions. The style of statements in general is still very confrontational.”
