The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in an interview with the BBC, said that Russia has begun to prepare its society for a nuclear attack but added that he does not believe in the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
"They are starting to prepare their society. This is very dangerous. They are not ready to do it, but they are starting to communicate. They donʼt know if they will use it or not. However, I think it is dangerous to even talk about it," Zelensky said.
He called on the world community to strike a "preemptive strike" by imposing sanctions against Russia, saying it could act as a deterrent.
The President also emphasized that it is not a question of a physical strike with weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation but rather of economic levers.
The president said that the worldʼs reaction is needed now, as Russiaʼs threats are "a risk for the entire planet." According to him, Moscow "has already taken a step" by occupying the Zaporizhzhya NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.
"The world must urgently force the Russian occupiers to leave the ZNPP," the president said.
- On Thursday, during an online speech at the Lowy Institute, Zelensky called on the North Atlantic Alliance to "deliver a pre-emptive strike" on Russia in order to prevent Russian President Putin from using nuclear weapons. It was about measures that could distract the leadership of the Russian Federation from the use of nuclear weapons.