‘Threat of nuclear war is on rise’: Putin rages at US nuclear weapons as tensions boil

The president admitted that the operation the Kremlin originally believed would be over in days could be a very long war.

By Robert Fisk

16:43, Wed, Dec 7, 2022 | UPDATED: 16:43, Wed, Dec 7, 2022

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Vladimir Putin has rowed back on some sabre-rattling today but warned that the risk of a nuclear war is growing. The Russian president said his military would ‘defend ourselves with all the means at our disposal’ and that their nuclear weapons are “more advanced and state-of-the-art than what any other nuclear power have”.

Vladimir Putin warns that a nuclear war is growing more likely (Image: Getty)

But he added: “we haven’t gone mad, we realise what nuclear weapons are”.

He was speaking during a televised meeting where he discussed the ongoing assault on Ukraine and hailed the annexation of Ukrainian territories as a major achievement.

The president admitted that the operation the Kremlin originally believed would be over in days could be a very long war.

But he stopped short of saying that more reserves would be called up to fight in Ukraine.