Zelensky Claims Russia Beginning to ‘Prepare Its Society’ for Potential Use of Nuclear Weapons
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Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Russia has started to prepare its citizens for the potential use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine.
“They begin to prepare their society. That’s very dangerous,” he said. Zelensky suggested his enemy is crossing a treacherous threshold by telling its public that nuclear conflict could be on the horizon.
“They are not ready to do it, to use it. But they begin to communicate. They don’t know whether they’ll use or not use it. I think it’s dangerous to even speak about it,” he said.
Zelensky softened an earlier statement he made that many misconstrued as an endorsement of preemptive nuclear strikes against Russia. Speaking to the Australian Lowry Institute Thursday, he had emphasized the importance of deterrence with “preventive strikes, preventive action,” noting that it was very imprudent to wait “for the nuclear strikes first.”
However, he later cleared the air that he was not advocating for nuclear escalation but rather more diplomatic tools, such as increased sanctions on Russia, he told BBC. “You must use preventive kicks, not attacks,” Zelensky said.
Still, some Russian officials interpreted Zelensky’s words as upping the stakes. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said he was making “an appeal to start another world war.”
Zelensky reiterated that Western countries should intensify their sanctions against Russia to raise the cost of the war it’s waging against its sovereign neighbor. He suggested that Russian surrender is in reach if there is a unified global opposition.
“The world can stop urgently the actions of Russian occupiers,” Zelensky said.
“The world can implement the sanction package in such cases and do everything to make them leave the nuclear power plant.”
On Saturday, an explosion disabled a bridge used for transporting military supplies between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, dealing a major setback to the Kremlin’s campaign in Ukraine. While Ukraine didn’t claim responsibility for the blast, Ukrainian officials tweeted messages hinting that it would constrain Russia and therefore give Ukraine the advantage. The adviser to the head of the office Zelensky treated it as a continuation of his country’s fight to reclaim its territory, including Crimea, which was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014 on the pretext of protecting Russian language-speakers there.
“Crimea, the bridge, the beginning. Everything illegal must be destroyed, everything stolen must be returned to Ukraine, everything occupied by Russia must be expelled,” the adviser tweeted Saturday.
Some western powers fear that Russia could employ tactical nuclear weapons to attempt to force Ukraine’s defeat. Russian forces have retreated in recent days as Ukrainian forces have started to advance north of Crimea, leaving Putin in an increasingly vulnerable position. Some in the international community wonder if he will resort to nuclear weapons in desperation.
As Russia flirts with the threat of nuclear weapons, President Biden on Thursday warned about a potential nuclear “Armageddon,” saying, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
“I don’t think there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon,” he added.
