Russia’s former president Dmitry Medvedev today accused European leaders of seeking to dangerously escalate the conflict in Ukraine following the re-election of former US president Donald Trump.

Medvedev, who is now a senior security official, wrote on Telegram that European politicians intend to “push the conflict with Russia to an irreversible phase” while they can and warned that Kiev should not be allowed to use Western long-range missiles to hit targets inside Russia.

“It is clear that these missiles do not have the potential to significantly change anything in the course of military operations,” he said.

French President Emanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reaffirmed their support for Kiev during talks in Paris yesterday, while the French foreign minister urged Ukraine’s allies not to prejudge how Trump will manage the conflict.

“Generally speaking, it is surprising to what extent the current generation of European politicians want to bring war on their soil,” Medvedev said.

Medvedev has previously said that Trump’s victory would likely be bad news for Ukraine. Trump has repeatedly criticized the amount of Western aid to Kiev and has pledged to end the war quickly, without explaining how.