Russia fully prepared for nuclear war if threatened: Putin

NEW DELHI: President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said Russia is fully prepared for a nuclear war if its sovereignty was under threat. He, however, said not "everything is rushing to it" at present.
"Deployment of American troops on Russian territory or in Ukraine would be considered an intervention," Putin said in an interview with Russian state media.
The Russian President, in a clear warning to the West, said the Kremlin will conduct nuclear tests if the US does the same.
"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready. Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles. If the United States conducted nuclear tests, Russia might do the same," he asserted.
"(In the United States) there are enough specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint. Therefore, I don't think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this."
Putin said he hoped that the US would avoid any escalation that could trigger a nuclear war.
Asked if he has ever considered using battlefield nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Putin responded that there has been no need for that.
He further claimed that the goal of Ukraine's recent attacks on Russian regions is to interfere with the upcoming presidential election.
"The main goal, I have no doubt about it, is to - if not to disrupt the presidential elections in Russia - then at least somehow interfere with the normal process of expressing the will of citizens," Putin told RIA.