Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if threatened: President Putin's warning to the West

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday issued a warning to the West, stating that Moscow was technically prepared for nuclear conflict. He emphasized that any deployment of US troops to Ukraine would be viewed as a significant escalation of the conflict.

Speaking shortly before the upcoming March 15-17 election, which is expected to extend his tenure by another six years, Putin clarified that the prospect of nuclear war was not imminent. He reiterated that he saw no necessity for the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

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"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin, 71, told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA in response to a question about whether the country was really ready for a nuclear war.

Putin asserted that the US comprehended that any deployment of American troops on Russian soil or in Ukraine would be interpreted by Russia as an act of intervention.

"(In the United States) there are enough specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint," Putin said.

"Therefore, I don't think that everything is Moscow (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this."

The conflict in Ukraine has sparked the most significant crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Putin has repeatedly cautioned that the West risks triggering a nuclear war if it deploys troops to engage in combat in Ukraine.

In February 2022, Putin deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine, escalating the conflict to full-scale war following eight years of tensions in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian groups.

Despite Western promises to defeat Russia in Ukraine, Russian forces now hold control over approximately one-fifth of Ukrainian territory after two years of warfare.

As the West navigates its support for Kyiv against Russia, which has significantly bolstered its military and is rearming at a rapid pace, the issue becomes even more complex, especially in a U.S. election year.

Kyiv asserts it is defending itself against an imperial-style war aimed at erasing its national identity, while Russia claims the territories it controls in Ukraine as its own.

Putin, Russia's foremost authority on nuclear weapons, reaffirmed that the employment of such weapons adhered to the guidelines outlined in the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine, which delineates the circumstances under which Russia may resort to their use.

"Weapons exist in order to use them," Putin said. "We have our own principles."

Russia and the United States are the predominant nuclear powers, collectively possessing over 90% of the world's nuclear arsenal.

Putin expressed readiness for substantive discussions concerning Ukraine.

"Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality - and not on cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs," Putin said.

Last month, Reuters reported that the United States rejected Putin's proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine to halt the conflict, following discussions between intermediaries.

Putin also mentioned in the comprehensive interview that if the United States were to conduct nuclear tests, Russia might consider doing the same.

"It's not necessary ... we still need to think about it, but I don't rule out that we can do the same."

According to CNN's report on Saturday, the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden held specific concerns in 2022 about the possibility of Russia employing a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

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CNN further stated that US intelligence agencies had received information indicating communications among Russian officials explicitly discussing a potential nuclear strike in 2022.

However, Putin countered, stating that Russia had never found a necessity to resort to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where the conflict has persisted since February 2022.

"Why do we need to use weapons of mass destruction? There has never been such a need."