In an interview before the presidential election, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to its sovereignty or independence.
"Are we really ready for nuclear war? From a technical point of view, we are certainly ready. Rockets are constantly ready to attack. In the US there are many specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint."
Putin described US President Joe Biden as a veteran politician who fully understands the potential dangers of escalation and said he does not think the world is heading for nuclear war.
Among other things, the head of the Kremlin said that Russia does not interfere in any election and that it will work with any elected leader of the USA.
"The United States announced that it will not send troops to Ukraine. We know what American troops are on Russian territory. They are intruders. This is how we will deal with that issue, even if they appear on Ukrainian territory. Biden is a representative of the traditional school of foreign policy.”
The latest threat to use nuclear weapons came in his State of the Nation address last month, when he warned the West that deepening its involvement in the fighting in Ukraine would risk a nuclear war.
Putin also expressed confidence that Moscow will achieve its goals in Ukraine and issued a stark warning to Western allies, stating that nations that say they have no red lines regarding Russia should understand that Russia does not there will be no red line for them.
"All these Ukrainian attacks are happening at the time of failures on the front line. They have not achieved any of the goals they set themselves last year, and moreover, now the initiative has been completely taken by our armed forces."
Meanwhile, among other things, Putin said that Russia is not ready for serious talks on Ukraine and if they happen, they should be based on reality. The director of the US Central Intelligence Agency, William Burns, warned earlier this week that if the West did not provide adequate support to Ukraine, Kiev would lose more territory.