Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a “very dangerous nuclear gamble” and [the international community] must “stop such reckless behaviour”, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano has stated. 

Stano added that the “sham, illegal referenda” planned in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia this weekend would not be recognised.

“Putin is doing a nuclear gamble. He’s using the nuclear element as part of his arsenal of terror, it’s unacceptable” , said the EU official. EU member states have already held discussions on how to respond to the latest developments in Russia’s war in Ukraine, Stano suggested, adding that the bloc had warned  Moscow that there would be “consequences from our part”.