Russia threatens UK with nuclear war as Putin's ally warns 'we'll have to punish them'

Sergey Karaganov is a former adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: Getty)

Russia will have "to punish Europe severely" if the continent continues to support Ukraine, Sergey Karaganov, a former adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has said. Speaking to Tucker Carlson, Mr Karaganov threatened Ukraine's closest allies in Europe, including the UK, with nuclear annihilation. 

The current head of Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defence Policy said Europe defeating Russia is a "fantastic illusion", blaming it on the "intellectual incapacity" of European leaders. He said: "What is defeat of Russia? If Russia comes ever close to a defeat, that would mean that Russia now would use nuclear weapons and Europe would be finished physically.

Mr Carlson then questioned: "When you say everyone knows that the Russian government, if pressed, would use nuclear weapons against Europe, do you mean that, is my question, and do you think that the Europeans understand that?"

Mr Karagnov responded by bizarrely claiming that European education has been "killed" since "the 1968 so-called student revolution", as so leaders across the continent are "unable to understand what is happening fully".

Vladimir Putin and Sergey Karaganov (Image: Getty)

He added: "They believe that war will never come to their territory. They forgot about the war and that it’s terrible. Now, one of the tasks of Russia in addition to all others is to bring them to senses hopefully without using nuclear weapons."

Mr Karagnov then accused the Russian government of being "too patient" with Europe, but "sooner or later" Moscow will "have to punish them severely".