Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, 57, said in a 4,500-word op-ed in Rossiiskaya Gazette newspaper that the only thing keeping the West from attacking the Russian Federation directly was Russia’s nuclear arsenal. Head of Russia’s Security Council, Medvedev mirrors the sentiments of his colleagues that believe that through Ukraine the West tries to topple the Russian Federation. Calling Ukraine a “disgusting almost fascist regime,” Medvedev said Ukraine mist be demilitarized, a major goal of the Feb. 24 Ukraine invasion. Serving as President between 2008 and 2012, Medvedev was once considered a reformer, until he spent more time serving the government of 70-year-old Russian President Vladimir Putin. Medvedev said the West seeks to break the Russian Federation apart for the “benefit of Ukraine,” something seen in the extreme economic sanctions.
Medvedev and his colleagues on the Security Council think that NATO has gone too far in encroaching on Russia’s national security. “The only think that stops our enemies today is the understanding that Russia will be guided by the fundamentals of the state policy . . . our nuclear deterrence. And in the event that a real threat arises, it will act on them,” Medvedev said, raising the nuclear stakes when it comes to the Ukraine War. Ukraine’s 44-year President Volodymyr Zelensky said to end the conflict Russia must pull all its troops out of Ukraine’s sovereign territory. Before the war started, Russia had troops in Donetsk, Luhank and Crimea, territories controlled by Russia. Yet Zelensky sets unrealistic conditions for any peace talks, stating that Russia must fully pull out of Ukrainian territory. Zelensky wants a statement from the G20 stating that it endorses Zelensky’s peace plan.
Any negotiation for a ceasefire and peace plan comes from a level playing field on neutral territory with experienced U.N. peacemakers, working the contours of any plan. By stating what conditions must be met, Zelensky has pre-empted any real ceasefire and peace plan, only making Kiev’s unilateral demands. Several experienced diplomats, including 99-year-old former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, have said that both sides must make compromises for peace. Putin has stated recently that he’s ready to negotiate but not on Kiev’s terms but only on conditions established by experienced U.S. peacekeepers. Zelensky receives U.S. government largess to pay his bankrupt government salaries and the war effort. Zelensky knows without U.S. funds, the war effort would go badly, with Ukraine not having the resources to conduct a protracted military operation.
Zelensky’s 40-year-old Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was confident that the U.S. and NATO would give Ukraine all the advanced weapons it needs to prosecute the Ukraine War. Kuleba knows there are many sophisticated weapons systems that Kiev does not currently possess. But Kuleba said he knows that the more Ukraine requests more advanced weapons, the more they’ll get them Only recently President Joe Biden, 80, said he intends to supply Kiev with Patriot Missiles, a sure sign that the war will escalate in the near term. Where Kuleba gets the confidence that Kiev can get whatever weapons he wants from the West is anyone’s guess. Biden has shown no restraint in giving Kiev all the cash-and-weapons to continue the war against the Russian Federation. Russia’s Security Council shows there’s zero trust between the U.S. and Russia, with Biden pressing his proxy war.
Medvedev’s statements about the “only” thing keeping the West from attacking Russia directly was its nuclear arsenal. Medvedev overtates his case, not realizing that no one in the European Union [EU] and NATO wants war with the Kremlin. Biden made a colossal miscalculation jointing Zelensky’s revenge mission in Ukraine against Putin. Zelensky doesn’t care about the infrastructure damage to Ukraine, how many civilians die or how many are driven into exile, he only cares about beating Putin. If you look at the damage inflicted on Ukraine’s sovereign territory, 10 months of war hasn’t gone well for Zelensky. Whether Zelensky gets back some of its lost territory or not, the war continues to drive Ukraine into the Stone Age. Zelensky wants all Russian troops out of Ukraine but it’s not a realistic condition for ceasefire or peace talks. Both warring parties must sit down with U.N. peacekeepers and figure out a formula that works for both sides, not just Kiev.
Putin has made appropriate overtures to work on a Ukrainian peace plan, whether or not it agrees with Zelensky. “The Western world is balancing between a burning desire to humiliate, offend, dismembers and destroy Russia as much as possible, on the one hand, and the desire to avoid a nuclear Apocalypse, on the other,” said Medvedev. Medvedev’s statements give U.N. peacekeepers an X-Ray into Russian thinking about he war. Medvedev said Russian needs new security guarantees from NATO. “The world will continue to teeter on the brink of World War Three and nuclear catastrophe. We will do everything we can to prevent it,” Medvedev said, showing the huge gulf between the West and Russia. U.S.-Russian relations has hit new post WW II lows, with both sides having zero trust in each other. Medvedev’s statements show that the Biden White House must not give up on diplomacy.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
