MOSCOW. June 3 (Interfax) - A nuclear war is an impasse and the end of mankind, so everything necessary must be done to prevent a nuclear collapse from ever happening, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Al Jazeera asked Medvedev whether concerns about the possible start of WWIII existed. "This is always a very difficult question to answer. Whenever it is answered, comments are made alleging that Russians are trying to scare everyone. I'd rather not scare anyone," he said.
"You see, when they say that it's impossible because that would never happen, they always make a mistake. Especially as nuclear weapons have already been used in the history of mankind. That was done by no one else but the Americans. Most importantly, any decisions made by countries must be cool-headed and fully take reality into account," Medvedev said.
Consistent with the Russian nuclear doctrine, Russia will strike back if it comes under a nuclear attack or if an attack is launched on its critical infrastructure, he said.
"This is a public document, the so-called Nuclear Deterrence Fundamentals adopted by the president. Or, [there is yet another possible reason] this may happen if Russia comes under attack by conventional weapons but this attack threatens the very existence of the state. No one should ever forget about that," Medvedev said.
No one wants a nuclear war, Medvedev said. "This is an impasse, the end of mankind, and all of us should do everything we can to prevent a nuclear collapse from ever happening on Earth," he said.