Top officials in Russia have issued strong warnings about the possibility of using nuclear weapons as talks to end the war in Ukraine have hit a dead end.
The peace efforts led by former U.S. President Donald Trump are facing serious problems. His Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, suddenly left a meeting in London with U.S., Ukrainian, and European leaders. This happened after Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelensky, criticized a key part of Trump’s peace plan a proposal that Ukraine give up some of its territory to Russia.
Trump has said that if both sides can’t agree soon, he may give up trying to negotiate peace.
In response to the stalled talks, a top Russian official, Sergei Shoigu, said Russia has changed its rules to allow the use of nuclear weapons if it’s attacked by the West — even with non-nuclear weapons. He also said that if other countries take actions that threaten Russia or Belarus, Russia may respond with force to stop those actions.
Another Russian leader, Dmitry Medvedev, warned that trying to arrest President Vladimir Putin — as ordered by the International Criminal Court (ICC) — could lead to war. The ICC had issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest in 2023, accusing him of illegally taking Ukrainian children to Russia. Russia doesn’t recognize this warrant, and Medvedev warned the West about the dangers of provoking a nuclear country.
The ICC requires its 123 member countries — including most of Europe, Latin America, and others — to arrest Putin if he visits.
Zelensky recently said that Ukraine would never officially accept Russia’s takeover of Crimea, a region Russia seized in 2014 but which the world still sees as part of Ukraine.
Trump responded angrily to Zelensky’s remarks, saying they made peace harder to reach. He said Zelensky should stop acting tough when Ukraine is struggling and suggested the war could go on for years if Ukraine doesn’t agree to a deal soon.
Vice President JD Vance said that the U.S. had worked hard to understand both sides and put together a fair peace proposal. He warned that it’s time for Ukraine and Russia to accept the deal or the U.S. might walk away from the negotiations.
Trump also mentioned that he might meet with Putin soon after his upcoming trip to the Middle East in May.
