(Reuters) - Russia remains in a state of combat readiness and is fully ready for a nuclear war, but not "everything is rushing to it" at present, President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published on Wednesday.
"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," Putin told Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA in response to a question whether the country was really ready for a nuclear war.
The Latest Photos From Ukraine View All 96 Images"Therefore, I don’t think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this."
If the United States conducted nuclear tests, Russia might do the same, he added in the wide-ranging interview.
However, Putin said Russia had never faced a need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, where the conflict has raged since February 2022.
Persons:
Vladimir Putin, Putin, Rossiya, Lidia Kelly, Christopher Cushing, Clarence Fernandez
Organizations:
Reuters
Locations:
Russia, Ukraine, United States, Melbourne