Russian President Vladimir Putin puts his nuclear forces on standby  7NEWS - video Dailymotion

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Watch Russian President Vladimir Putin puts his nuclear forces on standby  7NEWS - Feelings Drama on Dailymotion

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00:00Well, the Russian president says this is all because of the West.

00:03He says there were two reasons he was forced to make this move.

00:06He says he has no choice because, first of all, to use his words of the threats that

00:10have been coming from NATO and also because of the devastating effects of those economic

00:15sanctions on the Russian economy.

00:18Is he about to press the button and launch a nuclear war?

00:21Well, experts say no, he's not.

00:23But this raises the tensions in Ukraine and this part of the world to unprecedented levels.

00:30An oil terminal burns in Kiev, but after days of bitter fighting, Russian troops have

00:37been unable to seize key objectives.

00:41This is the remains of a Russian convoy that entered the Ukrainian capital.

00:46The tenacity of the Ukrainian forces and resilience of its people clearly frustrating the Russian

00:51president.

00:52Summonsing top generals, Vladimir Putin ordered them to put nuclear forces on high alert.

01:00NATO countries are making aggressive statements with regards to our country.

01:04Therefore, I order you to transfer the deterrent forces of the Russian army to a special mode

01:09of combat duty.

01:10Despite Putin's unprecedented threats, at the same moment, Russian negotiators were waiting

01:15in neighboring Belarus to begin peace talks.

01:18Ukraine's foreign minister agreeing to meet the delegation on the Ukraine-Belarus border.

01:23And if the outcome of these talks will be peace and the end of war, that should be welcomed.

01:31But we will not, again, and I want to make it very clear, we will not surrender.

01:38Ukrainian forces still control the capital and claim to have repelled Russian troops from

01:42the country's second largest city, Kharkiv, where there's been street-to-street fighting

01:47with Russian special forces.

01:49Earlier in the day, Russian patrols appeared to be making headway into the suburbs, but

01:55it didn't last long.

01:56Ukrainian civilians playing their part, ambushing them with petrol bombs.

02:00This, an abandoned Russian convoy being picked over by Ukrainian troops as reinforcements

02:05arrived from the south to bolster the defense.

02:08But the Russian artillery continues to fire on Ukrainian positions, and missiles continue to

02:13explode on the streets of Kiev.

02:15We know exactly where the missile hit.

02:18Take a look at this.

02:20It's carved a crater, much taller than me, down here.

02:27The impact then has just smashed the exact center of the building and ripped out this central

02:33structure, collapsing it.

02:36And every single room in the wings either side has been devastated.

02:41They did not miss.

02:42Ukraine's largest cities, battered but unbroken.

02:47Now, Russia has the world's largest nuclear arsenal, some 4,500 nuclear warheads.

02:52Is he going to use them?

02:53As we say, no.

02:54But it's potentially going to give him, he thinks, the upper hand and to be able to negotiate

03:00a face-saving deal.

03:02The United Nations estimates that 400,000 Ukrainians have fled to neighboring countries to escape

03:08the Russian invasion of their homeland.

03:10Poland and other European nations receiving an influx of refugees, as Jeff Parry reports.

03:17From across Ukraine, civilians have been converging here in Lviv.

03:21The Polish border is not far away.

03:24A promised haven for those fleeing the Russian advance.

03:28It's been snowing in Lviv as Ukrainians flee their country in search of a warm welcome

03:33in the west.

03:34In scenes repeated across Ukraine's train stations, men say goodbye to loved ones before

03:40turning back to face the enemy.

03:42I'm going to war.

03:43Yeah, I have a military responsibility to go and join the army.

03:51So you're saying, and you're going to fight?

03:52Yes.

03:53Thousands of civilians are making a desperate scramble to safety.

04:01It's estimated at least 350,000 people have fled into Poland.

04:06Many have relatives and friends to go to, others don't.

04:10Just a hope of safety and refuge.

04:12While in Lviv, some who could flee have chosen to stay, volunteers handing out food and clothing.

04:19Because I love my Ukraine and I love our people and I cannot stay and do nothing.

04:27Ukrainians are indeed receiving that warm welcome.

04:30Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania among the countries mobilising to help the refugees,

04:36providing food, shelter and legal help.

04:39The European Union is tightening the screws on Russia, announcing new sanctions, including

04:45the shutting down of European airspace to Russian airlines.

04:49And for the first time, the EU has voted to fund weapons and fuel to help a country under

04:55attack.

04:55Europe Bureau Chief Hugh Whitfeld reports.

04:57One of the biggest anti-war demonstrations overnight was in Berlin, where 100,000 people rallied in

05:04front of the Brandenburg Gate.

05:06Similar displays of support for Ukraine in London, Prague, Madrid and Rome.

05:11And further protests against the war in Russia too, with 900 people now detained there.

05:16The conflict has also upended decades of post-World War II foreign policy in Germany, with the

05:22Chancellor announcing defence spending will be increased.

05:26A seismic move for a country that has tried to go down the line of pacifist policies in

05:32the aftermath of World War II.

05:34The European Union stepping into the world of defence spending too.

05:37For the first time ever, the European Union will finance the purchase and delivery of weapons

05:43and other equipment to a country that is under attack.

05:48This is a watershed moment.

05:51The EU vowing to shut down its airspace to Russian airliners and private jets and ban Russia

05:57today in Sputnik to Kremlin-owned news outlets.

06:00Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed he is scheduled to speak to Ukrainian President

06:07Zelensky later today.

06:09The pair exchanged messages last night after the federal government confirmed it will work

06:14with NATO to deliver weapons to Ukraine.

06:17We're talking to our partners in the United States and the United Kingdom about the nature

06:22of such equipment, where it can be sourced for, from.

06:26Scott Morrison says the government is still considering whether to expel the Russian

06:30ambassador to Australia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin puts his nuclear forces on standby 7NEWS

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