Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that his country has modernized almost its entire strategic nuclear arsenal, and that its nuclear forces are ready for any scenario.
Speaking at a meeting of top military officials on Tuesday, Putin said that the role of Russia's air, sea and land nuclear triad in maintaining a balance of power "has increased significantly" amid the "emergence of new military-political risks".
He said that the proportion of modern weaponry in its nuclear forces "has been brought to 95% and in the naval component almost 100%" this year, according to Bloomberg.
Putin also said that his forces "have the initiative" on the battlefield in Ukraine, where Russia has deployed over 600,000 troops along the border and in the occupied regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
He accused the United States of exploiting Europe for its own interests, and said that Russia will proceed from its own interests when dealing with Ukraine, regardless of Kyiv's attempts to make any agreements.
"We do what we think is necessary, what we want," he said, adding that Ukraine "is suffering heavy losses and has largely squandered its reserves."
He also warned that Ukrainian membership of NATO "is not acceptable for Russia in 10 years, and not in 20".
Putin's remarks come as fighting along the front line has largely reached a stalemate as winter sets in, and as diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis have stalled.
Earlier, Putin had said that Russia has "no reason or interest" to fight with NATO countries, and that it is interested in developing relations with them. However, he also said that Russia will defend its sovereignty and security if threatened.
