Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West today that a direct conflict between Russia and NATO led by the US would mean that the planet is on the verge of the third world war, but that few people want such a scenario.
The war in Ukraine has caused the deepest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, writes the Reuters agency.
Putin, although he often warns of the risk of nuclear war, says he has never felt the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last month that he could not rule out the deployment of ground forces in Ukraine in the future. Many Western countries distanced themselves from that position, and some, especially in Eastern Europe, expressed their support.
Asked by Reuters to comment on Macron's statement and the risk of conflict between Russia and NATO, Putin jokingly replied that "everything is possible in the modern world."
"It is clear to everyone that it will be one step away from the third world war in full scale. I think few people are interested in this," Putin told reporters after winning the presidential election.
Bonus video:
