International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi is hopeful that nuclear weapons will not be used in the conflict in Ukraine, as he himself said in an interview with Fox News.

When asked to comment on Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev’s remark about nuclear countries’ involvement in conflicts, Grossi noted that "a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought."

"I’m not passing judgment on comments of high officials of any country. <...> Certainly, I hope that there will be no nuclear use during this conflict, absolutely," Grossi pointed out.

Medvedev earlier wrote a post on Telegram, commenting on statements made at the World Economic Forum in Davos that "Russia must lose" in Ukraine. According to the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, nuclear powers don’t lose in major conflicts on which their future depends and it should be clear to any Western politician. "It doesn’t occur to [Western politicians] to draw <...> the most obvious conclusion that a nuclear power’s defeat in a conventional war may trigger a nuclear one," Medvedev pointed out.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated later that what Medvedev had said was fully in line with Russia's nuclear doctrine. "It is fully in line with our nuclear doctrine. Read the nuclear doctrine, there is no contradiction there," Peskov said.