Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if threatened, Putin tells state media

FILE – Russian President Vladimir Putin gestures while speaking at a news conference following a meeting of the State Council at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia on Dec. 22, 2022. Putin said in an interview Wednesday, March 13, 2024, that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if there is a threat to Russian statehood, sovereignty, or independence. (Sergey Guneyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)