The former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev in an interview with Russian news agency RIA Novosti said that Russia putting its nuclear deterrence forces on high alert was a message to nations to not interfere with Russia’s foreign policy.
He said that he hoped that the move calmed down ‘some hotter heads’ in Poland. “A few weeks ago, our country’s nuclear deterrence forces were put on high alert. It was a simple message so that any country that tries to interfere with Russia’s foreign policy would know what to expect. They heard us and said they wouldn’t try anything. I certainly hope this has helped cool down some of the hotter heads in Poland and other US satellites,” Medvedev was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.
Medvedev said that due to ‘cool-headed and reasonable analysts at the Pentagon’ ideas like ‘imposing a no-fly zone over Ukraine’ was avoided since it would bring the US, NATO and Russia to the direct conflict.
The former Russian president was referring to Poland’s recent proposals to the US and its NATO allies. Earlier this month, Poland on two occasions surprised Washington. First, when it proposed that it lend its fleet of Soviet-era MiG fighter jets to Ukraine to defend its airspace. US vice president Kamala Harris then rushed to meet Polish president Andrzej Duda and said that it is an untenable proposal and risks bringing Poland in the line of Russian fire if it takes any such action.
Weeks later US president Joe Biden rushed to Poland to assure its eastern European ally of US and NATO support but his visit came soon after Poland called for a NATO peace mission “protected by armed forces” to help Ukraine when Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki visited Kyiv. The proposal was put forward by Polish deputy PM Jaroslaw Kaczynski in the presence Slovenian PM Janez Jansa and Czech Republic PM Petr Fiala who travelled to Kyiv earlier this month to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine PM Denis Shmyhal.
Medvedev further added that Poland was trying to portray itself as the US’ main ally in Europe. “Poland is more than just a loyal liege subject of the United States of America that seeks to prove its loyalty every step of the way, to show that it’s the United States’ rock and main ally in Europe,” he was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti. Medvedev expressed concern that despite trying to mend relations a few years ago, Polish political dispensation is following an ‘aggressively anti-Russian path for the past ten years’.
He also said that Poland is hosting refugees for its own benefit and trying to make economic and political gains out of the refugee situation.
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