According to the RIA official news agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared that his nation is prepared for a nuclear war and threatened to regard US forces as interventionists if they showed up in Ukraine.
In an extensive interview with RIA and state channel Rossiya-1 on Wednesday, Putin hinted that Russia would carry out nuclear tests in response to US nuclear testing.
Putin emphasized Russia’s nuclear capabilities, saying that its nuclear triad land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, submarine-launched ballistic missiles, and strategic bombers equipped with nuclear weapons—is technologically superior to others. This reaffirmed Russia’s commitment to maintaining a strong defense posture in the face of geopolitical tensions. Putin went on to say that although there are tensions, nuclear weapons have never been needed in Ukraine.
Putin issued a severe warning, saying that Russia has the capability to hit targets in the West and that sending their own forces to fight in Ukraine would put them at risk of nuclear war. This was followed by French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal, swiftly shot down by other nations, for European NATO members to send ground forces to Ukraine.
With over 90% of the nuclear weapons in the world, Russia and the US are by far the two biggest nuclear powers. According to a CNN article from this week, US President Joe Biden’s administration was particularly concerned in 2022 that Russia may use a tactical or battlefield nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
