Putin warns of nuclear war if NATO sends troops into Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned NATO countries of the danger of a nuclear conflict with Moscow, if NATO troops were deployed on the ground in Ukraine.

"[The West] must realize that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory. All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don't they get that?" Putin said in his annual state-of-the-nation address Thursday, according to an EBU feed.

The comments appeared to be a direct response to French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestion earlier this week that European heads of state and Western officials, who had met in Paris on Monday, had talked about the possibility of sending ground troops into Ukraine.

The French leader on Monday said that there was no consensus on the idea, but that it had not been "ruled out."

The comments have since sent NATO countries scrambling to deny they'd send troops into Ukraine, with Russia warning that such a deployment would prompt an "inevitable" Russia-NATO conflict.

In his speech to Russian lawmakers on Thursday, which lasted more than an hour, Putin accused the West of trying to drag Moscow into an "arms race," adding that Russia was ready for dialogue with the U.S. on "strategic stability," but would not be forced into talks.

He said Russia is united as it faces the threats of "international terrorism" and challenges to its sovereignty posed by the "colonial West" that, he said, was trying to "bring discord to our home."

"We shall overcome everything together," Putin said as he introduced his address. He praised Russian citizens, industries and businesses, along with the country's troops in Ukraine, for their efforts in "defending the Motherland."

"We have proven that