A close ally of Vladimir Putin has claimed nuclear war with NATO nearly broke out during Joe Biden's administration.

       Former Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev criticised the US president for his handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, claiming that it almost escalated to a more widespread conflict.

       He wrote on Telegram: "What did catch my attention was his unhealthy interest in Ukraine, even though he explained it to me by acting on [former President Barack] Obama's instructions.

       "Over time, those instructions turned into an obsession – the transformation facilitated by political mistakes, plain corruption, and poor judgement stemming from historical ignorance and failure to appreciate the nature of 'Ukraineness'.

       "At some point, the old man went off the rails and essentially unleashed a war between the collective West and Russia, which almost led to a nuclear exchange with NATO.

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       "He's been clearly out of it lately. While it's true that this war benefits the US economically, political costs and the real danger of a fatal conflict are far more important. It is something the old dude was not prepared for.

       "This is a case where the head of a major world power lost control of the situation completely, resulting in a crushing electoral defeat for the Democrats."

       Medvedev, also the deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, has previously warned of nuclear warfare during the conflict with Ukraine.

       He regularly goes on social media rants calling for nuclear attacks on NATO and the elimination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

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       Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov has also warned of a conflict between Russia and NATO erupting within the next 10 years.

       He said last month: "[Preparing for war] has been shown by the decisions made at NATO summit held in July of this year. [Russia] must be prepared for any development, including a possible military conflict with NATO in Europe in the next decade."

       This comes after the US declared it would use its existing stockpiles to send an extra ￡410 million in weapons to Ukraine, hopefully by the end of the month.

       The Biden administration has already announced a ￡1 billion aid package to Ukraine before his term ends and Donald Trump is sworn in on Monday.