Diksia.com - Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev offered his opinion on the war in Ukraine, which could soon end if NATO cuts off arms supplies.
Dmitry Medvedev, who is currently deputy on Russia’s Security Council, believes the role played by the United States (US) in encouraging its NATO allies to help Ukraine is at the root of the long war.
“If NATO, especially the United States and its supporters, stop sending arms and ammunition to Ukraine, special military operations will end in a few months,” Dmitry Medvedev told TASS reporters on Wednesday (07/05/2023).
“And if they stop their arms shipments now, the special operation will end in a few days,” he continued.
In his opinion, all wars can be ended quickly by a peace treaty or an attack like the US did in World War II.
“The truth is that any war, even a world war, can end quickly,” he said.
He then cited the example of the end of World War II.
“(The war will end) Either when a peace treaty is signed, or when someone does what the US did in 1945 when the US used nuclear weapons and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan,” he gave as an example.
“They (in World War II) then ended the war campaign at the cost of nearly 300,000 civilians,” he continued.
Russia could prolong the war to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO
In addition, Dmitry Medvedev also emphasized Ukraine’s desire to join NATO and hoped for an invitation to the NATO summit in Vilnius.
According to him, Russia will not allow Ukraine to join NATO.
“Russia is threatened by Ukraine’s potential to join NATO. We will prevent it at all costs,” Dmitry Medvedev told Rossiyskaya Gazeta on Sunday (02.07.2023).
Russia may be prolonging the war to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, since one of the conditions for NATO membership is that the country is not at war.
NATO’s presence on Russia’s borders poses a security threat to the Kremlin government.
“Russia has always asked not to extend the split to our former countries, especially countries with which we have territorial disputes,” he continued.
The war in Ukraine could go on for a long time
Earlier, in late May 2023, Dmitry Medvedev had estimated that the war in Ukraine could last for decades.
He said NATO had not rationally assessed the possibility of nuclear war, which could happen at any time.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu backed Medvedev’s testimony and said NATO arms sales to Ukraine could prolong the war.
“The US and its allies have taken destructive measures to create the most tense situation around the countries of the former Soviet Union,” Sergei Shoigu said, quoted by Al Mayadeen.
Since NATO is providing Ukraine with armaments aid, Russia assumes that the arms deliveries will indirectly draw Western countries and the USA into the war in Ukraine.
Russia has warned of an escalation of retaliatory measures.
The Russian military has repeatedly targeted Western weapons in Ukraine.
Not only does Ukraine receive weapons from the West, but it also allows mercenaries from different countries to fight in Ukraine, Al Arabiya quotes as saying.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said all foreign personnel would be destroyed.
