Zelenskyy says Putin's threats of nuclear war are a 'bluff' that shows 'nothing else is working'

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to turn to nuclear weapons "a bluff."
• "You only threaten the use of nuclear weapons when nothing else is working," Zelenskyy told German newspaper Die Zeit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to turn to nuclear weapons "a bluff" amid Russia's war against Ukraine.

"I think that the threat of nuclear war is a bluff. It's one thing to be a murderer. It's another to commit suicide," Zelenskyy told German newspaper Die Zeit in an interview published on Wednesday.

Putin, within days of invading Ukraine, ordered Russia's nuclear weapons on high alert in a movie he said was triggered by "aggressive statements" from Western powers.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg quickly called Putin's order "dangerous rhetoric."

The United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union have issued a barrage of economic sanctions against Russia since the country invaded Ukraine two weeks ago.

"Every use of nuclear weapons means the end for all sides, not just for the person using them," Zelenskyy said during his interview with the news outlet.

The Ukrainian president said that "Putin's threat shows a weakness."

"You only threaten the use of nuclear weapons when nothing else is working," said Zelenskyy. "I am sure that Russia is aware of the catastrophic consequences of any attempt to use nuclear weapons."

Russian forces attacked Ukraine in the early morning hours of February 24, targeting key cities throughout the country with military strikes.

The United Nations human rights office said on Wednesday that at least 516 Ukrainian civilians, including 37 children, had been killed in the country since Russia invaded.

However, it said it believes the real death toll is "considerably higher."