Serhii Markov, a former close adviser to Vladimir Putin, warned London about the nuclear risk live on BBC Radio 4, News.ro reports. Markov also said that a nuclear war would lead to “crazy behavior by US President Joe Biden and British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss,” according to AFP.

Serhiy Markov assured that Western countries are using the Ukrainian military to wage war against Russia.

“I would say that Vladimir Putin will convey that he will be ready to use nuclear weapons against Western countries, including Great Britain. Your cities will be targeted,” Markov said shortly after the Russian president’s speech.

Putin said that Moscow is ready to “use all the weapons at its disposal”, including nuclear weapons.

Later, Serhii Markov clarified that Russia has no intention “to use technical nuclear weapons against Ukrainians.”

“They are our brothers,” he insisted, adding that “it is clear that Russia is not at war with Ukraine.”

“Western countries are fighting with Russian troops, using Ukrainian soldiers as slaves. This was Putin’s main idea,” the Russian official also stated, placing Ukraine as a mere mediator of Western states.

According to Markov, a nuclear war would be the result of the “crazy behavior of US President Joe Biden and British Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss”, whom he sees as the main authors of this war in Ukraine.

“Londoners need to understand that this threat comes from Liz Truss, who is the aggressor,” he insisted.

Regarding the risk that a nuclear war would pose to all citizens, Markov assured that Russia “doesn’t want everyone to die,” but it has the ability to “kill a lot of people in Western countries.”