5 Mar 2019 09:41

Russia not planning to attack anyone, any 'nuclear blackmail' attempts heighten int'l tensions - Medvedev

MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev says he is opposed to NATO countries' 'attempts at nuclear blackmail' against Russia, reaffirming assurances that Russia does not intend to attack anyone.

"Our hypersonic missiles are of high precision and reliability. So your gardens are absolutely safe," Medvedev said in an interview with the newspaper Luxemburger Wort ahead of his March 5-6 visit to Luxembourg, when asked whether Luxembourg, around which several NATO bases with nuclear weapons are deployed, should be concerned that Russia's hypersonic nuclear missiles might land in its gardens.

"On a serious note, we never threaten anyone, and we are even less likely to attack someone or wage a war," he said.

"In our view, any attempts at nuclear blackmail lead to greater international tensions," Medvedev said.

Medvedev also said in response to remarks that Russia "does not look like a bastion of peace" amid new hypersonic weapons testing that "missile speed is a technical characteristic, not a sign of peacefulness."

"But let me reiterate - not for attacking. We have a genetic aversion to war, if you will. We regard our nuclear arsenal exclusively as a means of deterrence, a guarantee of Russia's national security. This is stated in our Military Doctrine which is purely defensive in nature," he said.