US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox News that the statements of the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, “should not be taken too seriously” because he “is no longer a real player in Russian politics.”

“He was just an interim president years ago, until Putin returned. Today, he does not make decisions and does not participate in any important meetings. Yes, he has an official position and can make provocative statements, but this is not the official position of Russia,” Rubio said.

When asked whether Russia could show military resistance to the United States, Rubio emphasized that such a scenario is “impossible to imagine.”

“There cannot be a war between the United States and Russia. Both countries have the largest nuclear arsenals in the world, and the risk of it is too great. Russia’s conventional military capabilities will not compare with those of either the United States or many European countries. They are already struggling to resist Ukraine,” he emphasized.

Rubio warned of the potential danger of a “small conflict or miscalculation” that could lead to a significant crisis.

“If such a conflict occurs, Russia could try to use tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield to escalate the situation and then stop it. But we should not imagine that. Such a war is neither realistic nor possible,” he added.

According to the Secretary of State, the main goal of the United States should remain to control tensions and avoid such miscalculations.