Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with state-controlled media on March 13 that he is "ready" to launch nuclear weapons if Western countries, in particular the United States, commit troops to Ukraine.
Russia is prepared for nuclear conflict but is not "rushing towards it," Putin told the Russia-1 television channel and RIA Novosti.
The warning comes a week after French President Emmanuel Macron said the West could not rule out the option of sending troops to Ukraine. His remarks caused international outcry, with many NATO allies clarifying they had no plans to deploy soldiers to Ukraine.
Putin's comment marks the 11th nuclear threat the Russian president has issued since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
During the interview, Putin also said he plans to send troops to the border with Finland, which officially entered NATO in April 2023.
"We didn't have troops (at the Finnish border), now they will be there," he said.
"There were no systems of destruction there, now they will appear."
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The remarks follow a pattern of Russian aggression aimed at Finland since its entry into the Alliance. Putin is building up a "Leningrad Military District" along the Finnish border, and has said Helsinki is "now going to have problems."
Finland has closed its borders with Russia since fall 2023, accusing Moscow of orchestrating a migrant crisis as part of a "hybrid operation" against Finland.
As Putin issues threats against NATO allies, Norway is leading large-scale NATO military drills in northern Finland, Sweden, and Norway. This is the first time the exercises have included Finland as a member state.
The Nordic Response exercises are part of a large-scale NATO training exercise known as Steadfast Defender 24, which Moscow has attempted to cast as a Western provocation against Russia.
Escalating tensions between Russia and NATO have led some officials to warn of a possible direct military confrontation in the near future.
Putin earlier in the day told Russian media that negotiating peace terms with Ukraine would be "ridiculous."