Last night it was alleged that Vladimir Putin told billionaire Elon Musk he would use nuclear weapons to defend Ukraine’s annexed regions.
The richest man in the world is said to have spoken privately to the Russian president in recent weeks to act as a peacemaker.
Tesla CEO Musk told Vice News that Putin is determined to win “no matter what.”
The Kremlin strongman is also said to have hinted that the nuclear option remained in play if Ukraine refused to recognize its annexation of four regions of Ukraine last month.
It has also been claimed that Putin told Mr Musk he was “ready to negotiate a deal” with the caveat that Crimea would be recognized as part of Russia.
Last night it was alleged that Vladimir Putin told billionaire Elon Musk (pictured) he would use nuclear weapons to defend Ukraine’s annexed regions
The Kremlin strongman is also said to have hinted that the nuclear option remained in play if Ukraine refused to recognize its annexation of four regions of Ukraine last month
But last night Mr Musk denied the reports, writing on Twitter: “I only spoke to Putin once and that was about 18 months ago. The theme was space.’
Recently, Mr Musk caused outrage when he appeared to support Russia’s occupation of the provinces while voicing his views on the war.
It came as NATO said it would hold nuclear exercises next week in the face of threats from Russia.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that the annual exercises are “routine” and “planned for a long time”.
Commuters burned in their cars, pedestrians littered with shrapnel – and Putin’s message to the West? YOU’RE NEXT: Shocking warning from Kyiv Mayor VITALI KLITSCHKO after Russia’s ‘barbaric’ rush-hour attack on Ukraine’s capital
By Vitali Klitschko for the Chron
The rockets began raining at 8:20 a.m., just as thousands of people were rushing to work, dropping their children off at kindergartens and schools.
Commuters were burned in their cars, pedestrians were littered with shrapnel and an explosion left a huge crater in the middle of a children’s playground.
A total of seven innocent people were slaughtered by Russian barbarians in Kyiv on Monday morning. Another 51 people are being treated for serious injuries.
No one in the Ukrainian capital was spared the horror. A footbridge loved by residents for its expansive views of the capital was also deliberately bombed, along with about 45 residential buildings housing hundreds of families, three schools and a kindergarten.
Through the targeted slaughter of non-combatants and the destruction of civilian infrastructure, Russia has once again proved that it is a terrorist state.
This act of premeditated murder and mayhem is just the latest example of Vladimir Putin’s determination to annihilate Ukrainians as a people. But our spirit remains unbroken.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko says his people have ‘not given the enemy the satisfaction that we bow our heads in mourning’
Though our blood was shed on Monday, we did not give our enemy the satisfaction of seeing us bow our heads in mourning. We continued to stand tall, our hearts heavy with sorrow, but our dignity and resolve intact.
There is no panic or demoralization. The Ukrainians have demonstrated the extent of their internal resources at every stage of this staggering war. Russia has spent most of the year bringing us to our knees. It did not work.
They try to intimidate us with terror, but that only makes us more passionate about preserving our nation and identity while using our boundless reserves of courage to defeat Russian brutality.
What is unfolding in Kyiv is a totemic struggle in the struggle for civilization that is inseparable from the preservation of democracy and freedom.
Because Ukraine is fighting not only Russia, but the darkness of totalitarianism and tyranny.
Mr Klitschko said: “Putin will not stop his nuclear blackmail of the civilized world if he succeeds in his mission to suppress Ukraine”
My people have shown a determination to fight for their freedom at all costs. They have shown great unity in their intention to protect their families, their cities and their state.
With every blow we endure, we only grow stronger and more unbreakable. In the moments after the first explosion, the first responders were ordinary Kyiv residents who rushed to the streets to help the wounded.
Those brought to safety on the subway spent the next five and a half hours comforting one another and singing the national anthem. Can such a nation be defeated? No! Can such a nation be crushed? Never!
And yet, from what we’ve seen, there are still those in the West who find fault with Ukraine. If Kyiv would only kneel before its invaders, these Westerners say, there will be peace.
If Ukraine continues its efforts to protect its sovereignty, they somberly warn – in language borrowed from Putin – of nuclear war.
In response, I ask: would Britain, for example, cede some of its territories in order to make a “peace treaty” with an invading army that wants to wipe it out? Would you give up your country’s independence, your children’s freedom? I do not think so. The same applies to Ukraine.
Have you seen what Russia did in the territory it occupied? In towns and villages from Bucha and Irpin to Izyum and Lyman, we have unearthed dozens of mass graves containing the bodies of civilians – men, women and children who were executed for the sin of being Ukrainian.
Forensic investigators stand next to a body that was exhumed from a suspected mass grave on Tuesday. Mr Klitschko said Ukraine needs “more weapons, greater economic support and even tougher sanctions against Russia”.
Let me tell you this: Putin will not stop his nuclear blackmail of the civilized world if he is successful in his mission to suppress Ukraine. This fundamental fact must be understood by all. And that is why the imperialist ambitions of the Putin regime must not be satisfied. They must be stopped.
Unless it is defeated, Putin’s imperial bloodlust will not end there. He will target other countries and there will be many more victims. It is no exaggeration to say that Ukraine is at the forefront of the struggle for civilization. Our blood is spilled to protect something greater than all of us.
The blasts in Kyiv were not just an attack on Ukraine – they carry a message to the rest of the world: you are next.
Ukraine needs more weapons, more economic support and even tougher sanctions against Russia to stop the mad dictator before he escalates his attacks. As Mayor of Kyiv, I am with my people, the citizens of my hometown. Against us is a state intent on devouring foreign territory and wiping out a sovereign nation.
Their soldiers fight for money, cars, the opportunity to loot Ukrainian homes – or simply fear of being punished for desertion.
We who didn’t start this conflict are fighting for something you can identify with: our families, our freedom, our children’s future. This is our home: we have no way of withdrawing. We must overcome and conquer every challenge. We have to win. I would even say that we Ukrainians have no right to capitulate or accept defeat for the cause we are fighting for.
Eight months ago no one could have imagined that Kyiv would be attacked because everyone outside of this country expected that we would collapse within days of Putin’s tanks rolling over the border.
We surprised the world with our bravery and tenacity. This is our country and the truth is on our side. We will never go back to the Soviet past. Kyiv is the proud and ancient capital of a state marching towards its European future. And Moscow’s bombs won’t stop us.
As told by Kapil Komireddi, author of Malevolent Republic: A Short History Of The New India