Russia doesn't want direct conflict with NATO: Former president Dmitry Medvedev

However, Medvedev warned that any Ukrainian attempt to take the Crimean peninsula would be met with fierce resistance

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Credit: Reuters Photo

Russian ex-President Dmitry Medvedev said on Friday that Russia was not planning to enter into a direct conflict with NATO and was interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis through talks, the Interfax news agency reported.

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However, he warned that any Ukrainian attempt to take the Crimean peninsula—which Moscow annexed in 2014—would be grounds for Russia to use "absolutely any weapon" against Kyiv in response.