Putin is threatening ‘nuclear blackmail’ in Ukraine – but the world must not give in, historian says

US academic Timothy Snyder tells Kim Sengupta that Ukrainians are fighting for the democratic world

Ukraine has been subject to further airstrikes this week (Reuters)

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine approaches its first anniversary, both sides are preparing for fresh offensives with flickering hopes of a ceasefire extinguished almost as soon as they surface.

For the historian Timothy Snyder, this war in the heart of Europe, one of the most momentous in recent history, will end with paradigm shifts and a new reality in the international order – but not the cataclysmic nuclear apocalypse some fear.

Speaking to The Independent, he says: “Putin has introduced nuclear rhetoric. There is a temptation to give in to nuclear blackmail, it has become a matter of obsessive importance to many. This is what Putin wants, to make us worry about threats he is just alluding to.