Zelenskyy: “Countries must be concerned” about Putin’s possible use of nuclear weapons

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the rest of the world should be prepared for the possibility that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use nuclear weapons in his invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv on Friday, Zelenskyy warned that “countries need to be concerned” about the possible use of tactical nuclear and chemical weapons.

“Not only me, the whole world, all countries have to worry because it can’t be real information, but it can be the truth,” Zelenskyy, who spoke in English, told Tapper during their sit-down interview.

“Chemical weapons… they could do it,” added Zelenskyy. “To them, human life is nothing.”

The invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces entered its 50th day this week, and Zelenskyy praised Ukrainian determination in an address to the nation, noting that Russia plans to take Kyiv within days.

That didn’t happen, but the Russian military has continued its brutal attack and shelling of civilian towns, killing over 5,000 civilians in the city of Mariupol alone, according to the mayor. Russia has also suffered catastrophic casualties, including the deaths of more than 15,000 troops, according to NATO estimates as of late March. And the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet was destroyed this week after being attacked by Ukrainian missiles.