Zelenskyy says possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons can't be ruled out: Report

Amid the ongoing ruthless war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that he doesn't rule out the possible use of nuclear weapons by the Russian Federation. In an interview with the Australian TV channel Nine Network, he outlined that Russians have already demonstrated their recklessness at nuclear power plants in Ukraine, so it can't be stated that "Russia will definitely not use nuclear weapons," Ukrainian Pravda reported. 

"We have a very developed nuclear generation, nuclear power plants in Ukraine, we are very powerful. At first, Russians seized the Chornobyl nuclear power plant then they captured the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant - the largest in Europe. They fired at it from tanks, from other armoured vehicles, they specifically fired at nuclear reactors," Zelenskyy claimed. He remarked that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station is almost six times larger than the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, and an explosion at the facility would kill a large number of people in Europe. 

US closely monitoring Russia's move regarding use of nuclear weapons: CIA Director

"So you can't expect from these people, from the leadership of the Russian Federation - both political and military - that they will not use nuclear weapons," the Ukrainian President added. Meanwhile, US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) stated that the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons should not be taken lightly. While speaking at the Georgia Institute of Technology on April 14, CIA Director Bill Burns stated that the US has been closely monitoring President Vladimir Putin's every move regarding the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine. Burns further outlined that the agency has found no evidence or signals so far that Russian forces are ready to deploy nuclear weapons, but also stressed that the world must keep an eye on the situation.

Russia says it has no plans of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russia has often stated that it has no such plans of using nuclear weapons against Ukraine amid the ongoing war. Last month, Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, dismissed the prospect of using nuclear weapons. However, he also remarked that Moscow would only resort to using them if the state's existence was threatened. Earlier on February 28, Moscow had sparked a global alarm after Russian President Vladimir Putin placed the country's strategic nuclear forces on high alert.

Image: AP