Ukraine’s new ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, warned that the threat of Russia using nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine should not be underestimated, writes dpa.

Russian President Volodymyr “We need to tell Putin that using nuclear weapons is not an option,” Makeyev told the Funke media group, which published the Ukrainian ambassador’s statements on Sunday.

It is necessary to confront Russia from a position of strength, insisted Makeev. “Otherwise, Moscow will always go further,” he added.

Makeev explained that after Russia’s illegal annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Germany was afraid to provoke Russia. Ukraine was left on its own, and the results can be seen already, the Ukrainian diplomat insisted, Agerpres quotes.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg does not believe that Russia will use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but says that this option is taken “very seriously,” writes The Guardian.

“The risk of Russia using nuclear weapons in Ukraine is small, but the consequences will be colossal, so we take it very seriously. There are no winners in a nuclear war,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, reports the Meduza website, which is quoted by The Guardian.

Recently, Jens Stoltenberg sharply warned Russia: if it uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, the consequences will be serious.

“There will be serious consequences if Russia uses nuclear weapons in Ukraine, any nuclear weapon. I won’t go into the exact details of how we would respond, but a nuclear strike would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. This means that a very important line has been crossed,” he said.