Russia not 'bluffing' with nuclear threats as Biden greenlights limited military strikes, Medvedev says

A senior ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia is not bluffing about using tactical nuclear weapons against Ukraine and warned that the conflict could spill over into other countries.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of the Security Council of Russia, made the comments after President Biden quietly authorized Kyiv to launch U.S.-supplied weapons at military targets just over the border in Russia that are supporting an offensive against the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.

"This is, alas, neither intimidation nor bluffing," Medvedev said Friday, speaking on the potential to use strategic nuclear weapons, per Reuters.

UKRAINE SEEKS TO STRIKE RUSSIAN TARGETS WITH WESTERN WEAPONS, ZELENSKYY SAYS

Russia has been using staging locations just across the border to enable its attacks against Ukraine and Biden has given Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to hit back at Russian forces hitting them or preparing to hit them. Germany has also backed the move.

The White House says the policy is limited and prohibits the use of army tactical missile systems (ATACMS) or long-range strikes inside Russia.

In March, the U.S. quietly delivered long-range ATACMS to Ukraine for the first time – which the Ukrainians have since deployed against Russian military forces inside Ukraine.

Medvedev said Friday that "Russia regards all long-range weapons used by Ukraine as already being directly controlled by servicemen from NATO countries."

"This is no military assistance, this is participation in a war against us. And such actions could well become a casus belli (an act that provokes a war)," Medvedev said Friday, per Reuters.

Medvedev, who served as Russian president from 2008 and 2012, said that the West’s ongoing support