Russia's accusations that Ukraine is preparing to use a "radioactive bomb" are "absolutely false", NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. Secretary Stoltenberg spoke on Tuesday during a visit to the USS George HW Bush aircraft carrier which is participating in a NATO exercise in the Adriatic Sea.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear rhetoric is "dangerous, reckless and irresponsible".
"Using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine will fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. President Putin, Russia, knows that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought. And they also know, that there would be serious consequences " , Mr. Stoltenberg said.
He added that NATO allies reject Russia's false claim, a country that often accuses others of what it intends to do itself.
"We have seen this happen before, from Syria to Ukraine. Russia must not use false pretexts for further escalation. The world is following the situation closely, " Mr. Stoltenberg said.
The head of NATO welcomed international sanctions against Iran, saying it is helping Russia militarily.
"In recent days we have also seen Iran support the Russian war effort. This is unacceptable. No country should help an aggressor in an illegal war. I welcome the fact that the allies and the European Union are implementing strong sanctions against Tehran" .
His comments came on the same day that Ukraine's nuclear power operator said Russian forces had carried out secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant.
The Energoatom company, which operates Ukraine's four nuclear power plants, said Russian forces have carried out secret work over the past week at the occupied Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
Energoatomi said on Tuesday that it "suspects" that the Russians are preparing "a terrorist act, using nuclear material and radioactive waste" stored at the plant.
He added that the destruction of spent nuclear fuel deposits would lead to a radiation accident and radioactive pollution on an area of several hundred square kilometers./VOA