President Vladimir Putin's army would be "annihilated" by a non-nuclear military response from the West if he were to use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, a top EU figure predicted on Thursday.Those comments increased soon after Ukraine started its startlingly successful counter-offensive, which exposed major flaws in Putin's conventional military operation.On September 21, as he announced his mobilization of reservists to the battlefield, Putin alluded to his nuclear stockpile and said Russia would "use all the means at our disposal" if the country's "territorial integrity" were threatened.But in his role he represents member states including France, a nuclear power, and 21 of NATO's 30 members, and has been involved in other aspects of the Western response to the invasion.He said that the West must not waver in its support for Ukraine and should "continue looking for diplomatic solutions when possible.""