Dmitry Medvedev has traveled a long way from his time as Russian president, when he once stood beside then-US President Barack Obama and declared that “the solution of many world problems depends on the joint will of the United States and Russia.

In the West, Dmitry Medvedev was once seen as a democrat who could liberalise Russia. In a stunning fall, he has been reduced to a rabid attack dog for Vladimir Putin who threatens Western capitals with nuclear weapons and launches into xenophobic rants on social media.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia's Security Council and Chairman of the United Russia political party, delivers a speech during the party's congress in Moscow, Russia, December 17, 2023. Sputnik/Yekaterina Shtukina/Pool via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.