Zelensky: China issued ultimatum to Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine

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KYIV — China warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in response to Ukrainian strikes on its territory, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters Thursday.

“I think you heard such voices in Russian media: ‘What if we respond to Ukrainian strikes with nuclear weapons?’ And it seems to me that this was the first time China … directly responded in an ultimatum-like form — that there can be no thought whatsoever of using nuclear weapons,” Zelenskyy said.

The Ukrainian president said he learned of Beijing’s intervention from European leaders at the NATO summit in Ankara, where they talked over “China’s role in ending the war [in Ukraine].” Zelenskyy added that he also discussed the topic with U.S. President Donald Trump, but he would prefer to keep the contents of that conversation private.

Russia conducted nuclear military training in Belarus in May , though President Vladimir Putin has so far refrained from issuing direct nuclear threats to Kyiv. Despite pressure from Russian politicians, Putin said Ukraine’s strikes do not cause enough damage to require a nuclear reaction from his government.

Last month, Saint Petersburg MP Viktor Perov urged his colleagues in the assembly to ask Putin to strike Ukraine with nuclear weapons.

“Our president was forced to start the special military operation, but, unfortunately, everything did not go as planned. Therefore, I believe that you, the deputies, should turn to the president with a request to start using nuclear weapons … which will lead the leadership of Ukraine to sign a peace agreement,” Perov said.