News Feed

Johnson: Putin 'would be crazy' to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

1 min read

U.K. ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Sky News that he doesn’t think Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will use tactical nuclear weapons in his war against Ukraine. Such a military strike would put Russia into a “cryogenic economic freeze” and lead to a “total disaster” for the country, Johnson said.

Johnson added that in case of a nuclear attack, Putin would “lose a lot of the middle ground of global tacit acquiescence that he’s had.”

On Oct. 27, Putin claimed Russia's leadership "had never talked about using nuclear weapons" and that a nuclear strike on Ukraine would make neither political nor military sense. He also accused the West, including former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, of “engaging in nuclear blackmail” against Moscow.

Previously Putin had repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons when discussing the war with Ukraine.

Avatar
The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Read more
News Feed

Washington and Kyiv will invest $75 million each to kickstart the Ukraine reconstruction investment fund that gives the U.S. special access to mineral sites and other projects in Ukraine, the Economy Minister Oleksii Sobolev told journalists on Sept. 17.

Show More