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Russian defeat in Ukraine could “trigger a nuclear war”, an ally of President Vladimir Putin has claimed.
Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president, reportedly made the comments on Telegram while discussing Nato support for Kyiv.
“Nuclear powers have never lost major conflicts on which their fate depends,” he said. “Defeat of a nuclear power in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear war”.
Earlier, Germany stalled on sending Leopard tanks to Ukraine for now, with officials saying that they would wait to follow the lead of the US.
Both the German president and defence minister did, however, reiterate their support for Kyiv on Thursday morning.
"These are not normal times, we have a war raging in Europe,” incoming defence minister Boris Pistorius said after a ceremony with military honours at the defence ministry.
He added: “Russia is waging a brutal war of annihilation on a sovereign country, on Ukraine,Our task is to make the Bundeswehr (armed forces) strong now, it is about deterrence, effectiveness and readiness.
“And it is about continuing to support Ukraine, also with material of the Bundeswehr.”
