Zelenskyy on Putin’s threat of nuclear weapons: ‘I don’t think he’s bluffing’

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a joint news briefing with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Latvian President Egils Levits, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine September 9, 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview that Russia could use nuclear weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin indirectly threatened to use nuclear weapons to escalate the war in a rare televised address on Wednesday.

Zelenskyy said there could be some truth to Putin's claims.

He wants to make people afraid. The first steps of his blackmail are here. Zelenskyy thinks he's bluffing.

Jake Sullivan, the U.S. national security advisor, made it clear that the United States takes Putin's nuclear threat seriously.

Sullivan said that any use of nuclear weapons would be met with "catastrophic consequences" for Russia.

Russian state media is reporting that a referendum is underway. They are being denounced as a sham by Western and Ukrainian officials because they are being used by the Kremlin.

Zelenskyy believes that there is no support for referenda in society. If the Russians announce the results of the referendum, there will be a threat.

Zelenskyy said that it would be impossible to continue negotiations with the President of Russian Federation. It is a very dangerous signal from Putin that he is not going to finish this war.

The United States will not slow down in the face of the Russian referendum, Jake Sullivan said on the Sunday shows.

Sullivan said on ABC's "This Week" that they have a clear mission and have been laser focused on for months. To make sure that the weapons and the intelligence that Ukraine needs to be able to defend its own country are available.

During his address Wednesday, Putin said that the West wanted to destroy Russia and turn the people of Ukraine into cannon fodder.

Zelenskyy said that Russia is using the war as an excuse to attack the west.

He knows that he has lost the war. The initiative has been taken by the Ukrainians. Zelenskyy said that he couldn't explain to his society why. The west is attacking Russia. The west is attacking our territories.

Jake Sullivan said that it's too soon to conclude that the Russian effort is collapsing.

Zelenskyy knows the months ahead will be hard. He said that Ukrainian forces are protecting infrastructure.

He said that they were not afraid of the challenge.