Moscow does not want a global conflict, said Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the National Security Council ahead of the Russia-Ukraine-US peace talks scheduled to be held in UAE this week.
In an interview
with Reuters, TASS and the WarGonzo Russian war blogger at his residence outside Moscow, Medvedev praised US President Donald Trump and said it was encouraging that contacts had resumed with Washington. However, he pointed out that the West has repeatedly ignored Russia’s interests.
“The situation is very dangerous. The pain threshold seems to be decreasing,” he said.
“We are not interested in a global conflict. We’re not crazy,” said Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 to 2012. “A global conflict cannot be ruled out.”
Also Read: ‘Military Victory In Sight In Ukraine’: Russia’s Ex-PM Says Moscow Must Think Of What Comes Next
The conflict first erupted in eastern Ukraine in 2014 a pro-Russian president was toppled in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution.
However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 triggered the biggest confrontation between the West and Moscow since the depths of the Cold War.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday that two-day talks between US, Russian and Ukrainian envoys on halting the Ukraine war would start in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Also Read: UAE To Host Ukraine-Russia-US Peace Talks On Feb 4-5: Zelenskyy
The first round of negotiations took place in late January, but led to no new movement on the vital question of territory, with Moscow still demanding Kyiv cede more land in its war-torn east, which it refuses to do, Reuters reported.
Reuters reported that Vladimir Putin and Trump both have mentioned the risks of escalation over Ukraine, though European diplomats say that Moscow has skillfully played the escalation card to scare Ukraine’s allies from getting too heavily involved in the war.
“They say ‘No way – these Russians are making it all up – they are sowing horror stories and they will never do anything,” Medvedev said.
Allegations of Greenland Facing Threat From Russia
Dmitry Medvedev denied allegations that Greenland faced threat from Russia or China and said they were false “horror stories” made up by Western leaders to justify their own behaviour.
“This so called threat from Russia and the People’s Republic of China is simply a horror story,” he said.
“This is indeed a serious challenge for Atlantic unity,” Medvedev said. “Perhaps everything will go according to a calmer scenario before military intervention and fighting within the NATO bloc.”
Recently, US President Donald Trump had claimed that Greenland faced threats from Russia.
In one Truth Social post, he wrote: “Nato has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to do anything about it. Now it is time, and it will be done!!!”
