Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday warned of a “global catastrophe” if NATO troops directly clashed with the Russian army in Ukraine.

Speaking in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana where he attended the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Putin said:

In any case, direct contact, a direct clash of (NATO) troops with the Russian army is a very dangerous move which could lead to a global catastrophe.

I hope that those who are saying this are smart enough not to take such a step.

Earlier, Putin had warned that he would use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory after annexing four regions of Ukraine last month, a move condemned by the United Nations.

On Tuesday, the Group of Seven (G7) nations (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US) warned that the use of nuclear weapons on Ukraine will have severe consequences.

Leaders of G7 states (the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, the US, France, and Japan) said:

We deplore deliberate Russian escalator steps, including the partial mobilization of reservists and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, which is putting global peace and security at risk.

We reaffirm that any use of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons by Russia would be met with severe consequences.

Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February 2022 but has so far failed to capture Kyiv or remove the Ukrainian government which it claimed was run by “Nazis”.

In fact, Ukraine, which has received a wide range of weapons from NATO members, has pushed Russian forces from the outskirts of its capital and recaptured significant territory in the east. | Khaleej Times