Ukraine leader says Putin wouldn’t survive nuclear attack

By ROD McGUIRK
Associcated Press

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says it’s “hard to say” whether the risk of nuclear war has increased with his military’s territorial gains. But he remains confident his Russian counterpart would not survive such an escalation in hostilities. Zelenskyy was addressing the Lowy Institute international think tank in Sydney on Thursday via video link Thursday. The call comes shortly after Ukraine’s military retook ground illegally annexed by Russia last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he won’t hesitate to use nuclear weapons to ward off Ukraine’s attempt to reclaim control of Moscow-occupied areas. Zelenskyy questioned whether Putin had enough control over the Russian campaign to direct a tactical nuclear strike.