Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned Western countries that his country was ready for nuclear war and said he would consider the U.S. deployment of troops to Ukraine a serious escalation of war.
“From the point of view of military technology, of course we are ready,” Putin told state media Russia 1 television and news agency RIA after being asked about the possibility of nuclear war.
The Russian president said the United States recognized that sending troops into Ukraine or Russian territory would be seen as Moscow intervening in the war. He also called for “strategic restraint.”
The comments came after the Pentagon announced Tuesday it would send about $300 million in arms to Ukraine to fight Russia.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries on Wednesday that his country is technically ready for nuclear war. (Sergei Savostyanov/Pool/AFP)
Putin added in his comments that he was in “no hurry” to use nuclear weapons and did not believe it was necessary to use them in Ukraine.
“So I don’t think everything here is in a hurry.” [nuclear confrontation]but we are ready for this,” he added.
President Putin has repeatedly warned since Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago that there was a risk of nuclear war if Western countries sent troops to Ukraine.
President Putin said that Russia would consider the US sending troops to Ukraine as a serious escalation of the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. (Gavril Grigorov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
On Wednesday, President Putin explained that the possibility of using nuclear weapons is outlined in the Kremlin’s nuclear principles.
“Weapons exist for use,” Putin said. “We have our own principles.”
President Putin said in an interview on Wednesday that if the United States conducted a nuclear test, Russia could also do so.
“There’s no need to do that…We still need to consider it, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of doing the same thing,” he said.
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President Putin has repeatedly warned since Russia invaded Ukraine more than two years ago that there was a risk of nuclear war if Western countries sent troops to Ukraine. ((Photo by: Alexander Kazakov/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images))
The Russian leader said that since the war began, Russia has never been informed of the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Putin said: “Why is it necessary to use weapons of mass destruction? There has never been such a need.”
In recent months, President Putin has proposed a ceasefire in Ukraine to temporarily suspend the war, but this was rejected by the United States after contacts between mediators.
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The Russian president reiterated Wednesday that Russia is ready for serious talks on Ukraine.
“Russia is ready to negotiate on Ukraine, but negotiations must be based on reality,” he said.
Russia and the United States are the world’s largest nuclear powers, together controlling more than 90% of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Although Western leaders have promised that Russia will be defeated in the war in Ukraine, Russian forces continue to control nearly a fifth of Ukraine’s territory.
Reuters contributed to this report.
