LVIV, Ukraine — As Russian forces continued to bombard eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia escalated his nuclear rhetoric, threatening to use nuclear weapons if the West interfered in Ukraine..
Putin’s threat, delivered in a speech to the Russian parliament, was the most explicit nuclear warning he has issued since the start of the war in Ukraine. It came as Ukrainian forces mounted a fierce defense against Russian advances in the east, and as Western governments increased their military support for Ukraine..
In his speech, Putin accused the West of waging a .
