KYIV: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said all countries should be concerned that Russia could turn to nuclear weapons as the war in Ukraine nears its third month.
Zelenskyy urged the world not to wait for Russia to use nuclear weapon and stressed the need to prepare for such an attack by taking measures such as building bomb shelters and stocking up on anti-radiation medicine.
The comedian-turned-war time leader made the doomsday warning during an interview with national media, before sharing the clip via his Telegram channel. He underscored the need for talks and a further squeeze on Russia’s economy to discourage the country from resorting to nuclear arms.
He made a similar announcement on Friday, when he said it could not be ruled out that Russian president Vladimir Putin would use tactical nukes “Not only me — all of the world, all of the countries have to be worried,” Zelensky said in an interview.
Zelensky said he could see the use of chemical or nuclear weapons because “for them, life of the people is nothing. We should not be afraid, be ready, but that is not a question only for Ukraine,” he said. “[It’s for] all the world. I think so.”
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On Thursday, CIA Director William Burns said that “potential desperation” could cause Russian President Vladimir Putin to turn to nuclear weapons but noted he hadn’t seen “a lot of practical evidence.”
“Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far militarily, none of us can take lightly the threat posed by a potential resort to tactical nuclear weapons or low-yield nuclear weapons,” Burns said.
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“While we’ve seen some rhetorical posturing on the part of the Kremlin about moving to higher nuclear alert levels, so far we haven’t seen a lot of practical evidence of the kind of deployments or military dispositions that would reinforce that concern. We watch for that very intently.”
Russia’s Defense Ministry pledged to launch more strikes against Kyiv following the sinking of its naval flagship, the Moskva, in the Black Sea.
Russia also sent a diplomatic note to the Biden administration warning the US against continuing to arm the Ukrainian military or else face “unpredictable consequences for regional and international security.”
