"Its goal is simple for the Western world, for the United States, for NATO. It is to weaken Russia as much as possible, so that we could not even raise our head, so that we knew our place and understood who is in charge in its 'earthly home,'" Medvedev said in an interview to RT broadcaster.
Russia has been conducting a special military operation in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. President Vladimir Putin has said that the operation aims to "protect people subjected to genocide by the Kiev regime" for years. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that NATO member states are directly involved in the conflict not only by providing weapons to Ukraine, but also by training Ukrainian troops on their soil.