Putin would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons: Serbian president

Russian President Vladimir Putin would not hesitate to use nuclear weapons if his country's security and military are threatened and if he has no other option, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic warned Tuesday.

President Joe Biden authorized Ukraine to use US long-range missiles to strike deeper into Russia, reports said Monday, citing US officials.

Earlier Tuesday, Putin signed a decree approving Russia's updated nuclear doctrine, nearly two months after he announced changes in his address at the Russian Federation Security Council standing conference on nuclear deterrence on Sept. 25.

According to Vucic, the world is one step away from a disaster and the next step could lead to a nuclear conflict.

''When you have 10 steps to complete disaster, we have crossed the ninth. I will tell you openly what I think. I think that no one will hesitate to use all the weapons they have…In the West, they will say that Putin is playing games and threatening with this, but he is actually afraid, and I will tell you that few people know President Putin like I do," he said in an address to the public.

''If the security of Moscow and its forces are threatened...he will not hesitate for a moment," he stressed.

Vucic said Serbia is not ready for a possible escalation of the conflict.

"We are completely unprepared. We have room for 257,000 people in shelters, and we will have to…start rebuilding the infrastructure again, at least to reach the number of a million, a million and a half that we can accommodate in shelters.

"We will work on this diligently. I apologize to the citizens that we did not start this work on time, but we will deal with it," he added.

As the Ukraine conflict surpasses its 1,000-day mark, its complexities deepen, shaped by external crises and escalating military developments, underscoring the dire need for renewed diplomatic efforts to avert further escalation.