Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has warned NATO that the defeat of his country as a nuclear power in Ukraine could trigger a nuclear war.

Russia's former president says fear of Moscow's nukes is only thing holding the West back from seeking open war with his country.

The United States has said that a “nuclear war is something that must never be fought,” after Putin stated that nuclear tensions had risen because of the war in Ukraine.

Russia has said the world’s top priority should be to avoid a military confrontation between nuclear powers, which could lead to “catastrophic consequences.”

​​​​​​​Former US Congresswoman and 2020 presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard has said President Joe Biden and leaders in Congress are actively pushing the world to the brink of “a nuclear holocaust.”

“The act of sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 is an act of international terrorism aimed at undermining energy security of the entire continent.”

The United States will be the first country to pull the nuclear trigger, an American academic and political commentator has warned.  

Western lies are no match for the unstoppable Russian rise, says political commentator and analyst Daniel Patrick Welch.

The Russian embassy in the US has warned that the United States continues to act without regard for other countries' security and interests, which is leading to an increase in nuclear risks.

Here are Press TV's latest top stories at 1600 GMT, August 2, 2022.