EU's Borrell says Putin's nuke threat must be taken 'seriously'; 'It's a dangerous moment'

European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has stated that nuclear threat issued by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin must be taken "seriously". His remarks come as Russia’s Central Election Commission undertakes referendums in occupied Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk People's Republic, and Luhansk People's Republic amid a partial mobilization of Russia's military.  

"Certainly, it's a dangerous moment because the Russian army has been pushed into a corner, and Putin's reaction threatening using nuclear arms... it's very bad," Josep said in an interview with BBC.

President Putin had previously warned during his address, “Those who are using nuclear blackmail against us should know that the wind rose can turn around,” while adding, “This is not a bluff.”

Russia holds referendums amid Ukraine’s counteroffensive  

Seven months since Russia's announcement of the special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February, the on-ground facts state that President Putin's forces are on the back foot.  

Ukraine launched a full-scale counter-offensive against the Russian forces in late August. The first focus of the counter-attack was the southern region of Kherson. In an attempt to bolster its defence against the Ukrainian advance, Moscow redirected troops to the region. Following this, Ukraine launched another highly effective offensive in the country's northeast, near Kharkiv.  

However, Borrell stated in the interview that a "diplomatic solution" should be the focus. He stressed on a solution that "preserves the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine".  "Otherwise, we can finish the war, but we will not have peace, and we will have another war," he added.

Ukraine conflict dominates the UN General Assembly  

Borrell has further revealed that the Russia-Ukraine conflict dominated this year's UN General Assembly as the costly conflict drags on with no clear sight of a conclusion. According to Borrell, the Kremlin’s new threats regarding the possibility of the usage of nuclear weapons were worrying.  

Dismissing the concerns that the European Union’s arms supplies were running low, Borrell assured that the EU must continue providing military support to Ukraine. He further stated that the EU will continue applying economic sanctions against Russia’ President Putin and his allies while diplomatic efforts to stop the war would also continue.  

As per the latest intelligence update by the UK’s Ministry of Defense, the Ukrainian military is advancing downstream along the Siverskyy Donets river and the Inhulets river. The update also warned that Russian commanders may attempt to strike the sluice gates of dams, in order to flood Ukrainian military crossing points.