Former US ambassador to Ukraine says would push Putin to use nuclear weapons

Kremlin head Vladimir Putin may use nuclear weapons if North Atlantic Alliance troops violate Russia's borders, former US ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst, director of the Eurasia Centre at the Atlantic Council, has said in an interview with TSN.ua.

He noted that such rhetoric is constantly heard from the lips of Russian propagandists and officials, including Putin's close entourage, finally from Putin himself. The Kremlin is pounding both Ukraine itself and the countries supporting it with nuclear weapons.

In many ways, however, Herbst believes, these are just threats.

Putin and other officials in Russia often talk about such a possibility, making more threats. At first they talked about a Ukrainian counter-offensive in September. Later such threats began to be made after Finland and Sweden decided to join NATO. This is only possible if NATO intervenes in the war", Herbst says.

It should be noted that Kirill Budanov, head of Ukraine's GUR, is convinced that Russia does not use tactical nuclear weapons.