The threat of nuclear war is “rising” in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. This was stated by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, speaking via video link at a meeting of the Human Rights Council, according to Russian media reports.
“Russia considers nuclear weapons a response to an attack“, continued the president, highlighting how his country does not have “tactical nuclear weapons in other countries unlike the United States”.
“We are not talking about using nuclear weapons”, he added, underlining that “Russia has not gone mad” and that “we have the most advanced weapons, but we don’t want to use them”.
Russia, Putin underlines, will defend itself with all the means at its disposal. “First of all, of course, we will focus on peaceful means, but if nothing else remains, we will defend ourselves with all means at our disposal,” he said.
The so-called special military operation in Ukraine could prove to be “a long process,” Putin said, suggesting the possibility that Moscow has no plans to end the conflict in the short to medium term.
USA – “We have been consistent in our concerns about an escalation,” explained US Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby. “We didn’t encourage them to do that,” he added, referring to the drone raids on two Russian air bases attributed to Kiev. The same clarity, he added, was expressed by the US to Ukraine in relation to responsibility for weapon systems. ”We have certainly neither encouraged nor allowed Ukraine to strike Russia. Our goal has been, and remains, to make sure they have the capabilities they need, the resources they need to defend themselves,” Kirby said, quoted by CNN. ”Everything we’re providing is really designed with that in mind.”
THE MAYOR OF KIEV – “We never expected that they would try to destroy the civilian infrastructure of our cities. It’s genocide. It’s terrorism,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told the Guardian, adding that “they want to freeze the civilian population to death. They want to kill us.” , they want to have a Ukraine without Ukrainians”. “Thanks to our military – continues Klitschko – who disabled all the missiles launched against Kiev yesterday. But only two weeks ago we approached a total blackout. The temperature was above zero then but imagine the same situation if it happened now when it’s almost -10 outside and without electricity, water or heating. The consequences would be disastrous”. “In that attack – he still says – almost the whole city was without electricity. For the next 12 hours we worked day and night to restore the electricity”. Kyiv’s mayor lists the 45 underground metro stations that will remain open as shelters and provide phone charging and internet, as well as tips for surviving a prolonged blackout. “It’s for the worst case scenario – explains the former boxer, world champion turned politician -. We have to tell people what to do if the situation becomes critical and they don’t have internet and no connection to the media”.