Senior Conservative MP says Putin could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood, who chairs the Commons Defence Select Committee, has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “could use nuclear weapons in Ukraine”.

Mr Ellwood told the BBC: “If I have a concern I would not put it beyond Putin to stoop to radical tactics to secure victory. He can’t fail and the stakes are very very high indeed”.

When pressed on what type of weapons Putin might use, Mr Ellwood continued: “We’ve seen what he’s done in Syria for example, he can certainly use other weapons systems which haven’t been tested or that we’re used to”.

Mr Ellwood said that chemical weapons and, in a worst case scenario, low yield nuclear weapons could be used by a desperate Russian President.

In a TV address made at the time of the initial invasion on Thursday, Putin said boasted of the “cutting-edge weapons” Russia had to hand. The Russian President added: “As for military affairs, even after the dissolution of the USSR and losing a considerable part of its capabilities, today’s Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states”.