Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev threatens to cut diplomatic ties to Western countries in response to sanctions over Ukraine

A top Russian government official warned on Saturday that Moscow could react to Western sanctions by severing diplomatic ties with Western nations and freezing their assets.

Russia will back out of a previous nuclear arms deal with the United States, according to a former president.

The Council of Europe suspended the country's membership because of the president's criticism of the organization.

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The administration has so far declined to push for the removal of Russia from the system for global financial transactions, despite President Joe Biden issuing two rounds against Russia.

The New York Times reported that European leaders are reluctant to remove Russia from the international money transfer system because of their dependence on Russia's energy exports.

The sanctions will only further antagonize Russia and cause backlash against the West, according to The AP.

We are being driven out of everywhere, punished and threatened, but we don't feel scared, he said.

The US ended the war in Afghanistan in August of last year. Critics of the exit are concerned about the country's long-term stability without a US military presence.

Putin became prime minister from 2012 to 2020 after serving as president from 2008 to 2012 and then becoming president again in 2020.

As president, Medvedev was generally seen as a more liberal leader than Putin, but his comments on Saturday reflect a sharpness that defined Russia's leadership in previous decades.

The New START nuclear arms treaty was signed in 2010 by then-US President Barack Obama and then-Russian President Dimitry Medvedev.

The treaty limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers, and requires sweeping on-site inspections to verify compliance, The AP reported.

The agreement was extended for five more years by the US and Russia.

Russia opting out of the treaty would be a retrograde step.

There is no particular need for maintaining diplomatic relations with Western countries, and that we may look at each other in binoculars and gun sights, according to the AP.

The former president threatened to impose economic sanctions against the West to counter the sanctions levied on Russia.

We would need to respond by freezing the assets of foreigners and foreign companies in Russia.