Putin Warns of Nuclear War if West Sends Troops to Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of "tragic" consequences if Western nations send troops into Ukraine, saying his country has the weapons to strike targets in the West. ’[Western nations] must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?" Putin said Thursday during his annual state of the nation address. Earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said that while there are no plans in place to send Western troops to fight in Ukraine, the possibility remained. ’There’s no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner, troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing can be ruled out,’ Macron said at a news conference. Several European leaders pushed back on Macron’s idea as did the U.S. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that Europe’s path for several generations is now being determined amid Russia’s invasion of his country. "We have seen in the past how someone else tried to determine the fate of other nations. This happened in the Balkans, in Eastern Europe, and in all other parts of Europe. Now [Russian President Vladimir] Putin wants to do exactly the same," Zelenskyy said as he attended a summit of southeastern European leaders in Albania. Zelenskyy said it is "critical for all free nations" that Putin lose the war, and that the Russian leader’s failures "are our security." Zelenskyy on Wednesday also praised Belgium for committing to take part in a Czech-led initiative to supply badly needed ammunition to Ukrainian forces. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said Belgium would provide $216 million in funding for the effort. "We can never match the sacrifice Ukraine is making every day," De Croo said. "But we can give President Zelenskyy what he requested — more ammunition to fend off the Russian aggressor." Zelenskyy said he appreciates that allies understand the urgency of Ukraine’s defense needs. "Such resolute and timely actions are exactly what we need to defend freedom in Ukraine and across our Europe," he said on X. Ukraine’s military said Wednesday that Russian attacks continued overnight with 10 drones and an unspecified number of guided missiles. The Ukrainian air force reported destroying all 10 drones, with intercepts taking place over the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions. Some information for this story came from Agence France-Presse and Reuters. The Voice of America provides news and information in more than 40 languages to an estimated weekly audience of over 326 million people. Stories with the VOA News byline are the work of multiple VOA journalists and may contain information from wire service reports. Subscribe
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks at a press conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama (not pictured) after a summit of Southeastern European countries in Tirana, Albania, Feb. 28, 2024.
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