Vladimir Putin has issued a stark warning, stating his readiness to employ nuclear weapons in response to Western, particularly US, troop deployment in Ukraine. Although Putin stressed that he doesn’t see nuclear conflict as imminent, he underscored his preparedness to initiate missile launches. This marks the 11th occasion Putin has issued such a warning since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with three of these warnings occurring in the past month.

Putin’s statement comes in the wake of earlier remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron hinting at the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine, although Macron later clarified that there were no concrete plans to do so.

In addition to his nuclear warning, Putin announced intentions to deploy soldiers to the border with Finland following Finland’s recent entry into NATO, effectively expanding the alliance’s border with Russia. Putin criticized what he described as provocative statements from Western countries, asserting that nations potentially facing consequences have shown restraint in their behavior.