NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that the country was technically prepared for nuclear war and that if the United States sent its troops to Ukraine, it would lead to a significant escalation.

Speaking days ahead of the March 15-17 election in which Putin is certain to clinch victory and remain in power for the next six years, the Russian president said that the nuclear war scenario was not "rushing" up and as of now there is no need of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready," said Putin, while speaking to Rossiya-1 television and news agency RIA when asked if the country was prepared for a nuclear war.

Putin added that the United States understood that if American troops were deployed on Russian territory or in Ukraine, Russia would see it as an intervention.

"(In the United States) there are enough specialists in the field of Russian-American relations and in the field of strategic restraint," said Putin.

"Therefore, I don't think that here everything is rushing to it (nuclear confrontation), but we are ready for this," he added. 

Putin said that the Kremlin's nuclear doctrine clearly specifies the circumstances in which nuclear weapons may be used by the country. 

"Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles," said Putin. 

Till now, Russia and the United States are the largest nuclear powers and have more than 90 per cent of the nuclear weapons present in the world under their control.

"Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality - and not on cravings after the use of psychotropic drugs," said Putin.

He said that if nuclear tests are conducted by the United States, Russia might do the same. "It's not necessary ... we still need to think about it, but I don't rule out that we can do the same," he said. 

Putin further said that Russia never faced the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, against which it has waged a war since February 2022. "Why do we need to use weapons of mass destruction? There has never been such a need," he said.