Russia has allegedly placed nuclear weapons in Belarus.
However, Putin’s threatening message does not scare Zelensky.
– I don’t think he is ready to use them, because he is afraid for his life, says the Ukrainian president.
The war continues to rage in Ukraine and there is concern that the situation will escalate more and more.
On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed that the first round of Russian tactical nuclear weapons are in place in Belarus, although there is currently no plan to use them.
– It is a deterrent measure so that anyone thinking of imposing a strategic defeat on Russia should not forget the current situation, Putin said during the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
“Putin is out of touch with reality”
In an interview with BBC Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is asked if he feels threatened by Putin’s latest statement.
– Putin has been dangerous for us since 2014 when he occupied the first of our territories, says Zelensky and continues:
– He will talk about using nuclear weapons but I don’t think he is ready to do it because he is afraid for his life, he loves it too much. But I can’t say for sure, especially in the case of a person with no connections to reality, who in the 21st century started a full-scale war against his neighbor.
Some information, including in the think tank ISW’s latest report, has claimed that the Ukrainian counter-offensive may be paused. That is not true, says President Zelensky.
Slow counteroffensive
In the interview with the BBC, he says that the counter-offensive, on the other hand, is going “slower than desired”.
– Some people think this is a Hollywood movie and expect results immediately. It’s not a movie. What is at stake are people’s lives.
Many expected that the Russian resistance would be fierce. Great power Russia has been preparing for a long time.
– What Ukraine is doing here, no other defense force has done in modern times, to go on the offensive against a prepared great power, without actually having any type of air capacity. It is absolutely extreme. It has been known that this will be difficult and it will take time, Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lidén told TV4 last week.