Top Russian official criticizes US-Japan statement on nuclear weapons

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A top Russian security official said on Saturday that Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida "betrayed the memory of victims of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombing" when he issued a joint statement with US President Joe Biden condemning the use of nuclear weapons.

Following a meeting in Washington, Kishida and Biden stated that any use of nuclear weapons by Russia in Ukraine would be viewed as an act against humanity as a whole, with no justification.

“Kishida absolutely does not care that the only country that used nuclear weapons was the US. And its only victim is his own homeland,” Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, wrote on Telegram.

Medvedev described accusations about Russia's nuclear intentions as "paranoia," adding that he hopes Kishida reminded Biden of the US attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki and demanded that he repent.

On December 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the threat of nuclear warfare is on the rise and that Russia is ready to employ all available resources to defend itself in the face of foreign threats, adding that some countries of the West regard Russia as "a second-rate country that simply has no rights to exist at all."

"When we are struck, we strike back," Putin said in reference to the policy of "retaliatory strike" - meaning that Russia's nuclear weapons serve as a tool of deterrence in the special military operation.

In November, Pentagon Spokesperson Patrick Ryder reiterated that US assessments do not indicate that Russia has made a decision to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

In response to a question by Al Mayadeen's correspondent, Ryder stressed that this issue is very important and the US deals with it with a great deal of seriousness, adding that no developments have been recorded in this regard.

It is noteworthy that the Pentagon has repeatedly stressed that the United States has no indication that Russia intends to use a nuclear weapon in the Ukraine war.