Words of mass destruction: Truss vs Putin after Russia issues nuclear threat

28 February 2022, 12:16 | Updated: 28 February 2022, 13:07

Liz Truss's comments were singled out by the Kremlin
Liz Truss's comments were singled out by the Kremlin. Picture: Alamy

By Asher McShane

The Kremlin has claimed that Vladimir Putin put his nuclear deterrent forces on high alert because of 'unacceptable' statements made by Foreign Secretary Liz Truss.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing today: "Statements were made by various representatives at various levels on possible altercations or even collisions and clashes between Nato and Russia.

"We believe that such statements are absolutely unacceptable.

"I would not call the authors of these statements by name, although it was the British foreign minister."

It was not immediately clear what statements the Kremlin was referring to but Ms Truss said on Sunday that faced with the possible end of his regime, Mr Putin could resort to the “most unsavoury means" and warned Russia could use "even worse weapons" in the conflict.

An ally of Foreign Secretary Liz Truss hit back at the Kremlin's claims today, saying: "Nothing Liz has said warrants that sort of escalation. It's clearly designed to distract from the situation on the ground in Ukraine," the ally said.

"The Foreign Secretary has always talked about Nato in the context of it being a defensive alliance.

"Her point is that we stand by Article 5, and that we must do everything we can to help Ukraine short of putting boots on the ground.

"We take it very seriously and want to keep the situation calm."

Peace talks were taking place between Russia and Ukraine on the Belarus border.

Read more: 'Show this to Putin': Horror of the child victims of the Ukraine war

Read more: Putin's nuclear threat is 'rhetoric', says Defence Sec

Defence Sec on Russia's nuclear threat

Asked about Russia’s arsenal of chemical and tactical nuclear weapons, Ms Truss said yesterday: “I fear this conflict could be very, very bloody.

“I urge the Russians not to escalate this conflict but we do need to be prepared for Russia to seek to use even worse weapons. I think it would be hugely devastating. We need to avoid this at all costs.”

Ms Truss also said that if Putin was not stopped in Ukraine it could lead to Nato being dragged into a wider conflict.

"If we don’t stop Putin in Ukraine we are going to see others under threat – the Baltics, Poland, Moldova, and it could end up in a conflict with Nato,” said the foreign secretary.

“We do not want to go there. That is why it is so important we make the sacrifices now.”

'Why aren't we offering visa free access for Ukrainians?'

Mr Putin was seen in a TV clip meeting with his defence minister and the chief of the general staff, and instructing them to put the nuclear deterrent on a “special regime of combat duty”.

Putin cited “aggressive statements” from Western powers and hard-hitting economic sanctions, including the exclusion of Russian banks from the Swift global payments system, which sparked a run on banks across Russia.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace today took steps to calm the situation, telling LBC: "No, we’re not going to have a nuclear war.

“President Putin is dealing at the moment in rhetoric. He wants to distract from what’s gone wrong in Ukraine. He wants us all to be reminded that he has a nuclear deterrent.

“Britain has a nuclear deterrent. It’s somewhere out there under the sea 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It has kept us safe for decades. It is a deterrent by definition.

“President Putin knows that, and he also knows America and France also have a deterrent.

“This is more about putting it on the table to flex muscles and detract.

“No-one is going to do anything to unnecessarily provoke him or indeed to escalate this beyond trying to deter him from his actions in Ukraine. We know that he gets deterred by might.”

The Russian rouble crashed after the West introduced the crippling sanctions against Putin.

The UK has also cracked down on the so-called "dirty money" of billionaire oligarchs.

The value of Russia's currency was down around 30 per cent against the US dollar at one point, as the country's invasion into Ukraine continues to increase tensions across the world.

The Rouble was trading at a record low of 105.27 per dollar (approx. £79) - down from about 84 per dollar (£63) late on Friday.

In a bid to fight back against the plummeting rouble, Russia's central bank sharply raised its key interest rate from 9.5 per cent to 20 per cent on Monday.

Latest World News

See more Latest World News

At least 19 other Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Sunday, officials said.

IDF admits 'technical error' after ten people, including children, killed while fetching water

Colonel Ivan Voronich, head of an SBU intelligence Special Operations Centre, was shot dead by a silenced pistol in Kyiv on Thursday.

Putin hit squad ‘eliminated’ after broad daylight murder of top Ukrainian special forces chief

The sunset over a bay with fishing boats anchored in it.

British tourist dies after falling from balcony in Malta

Floods in the Barcelona town of Súria during the rainfall caused by the storm.

Spain storm warning as 100mm of rain fell in an hour submerging tourist hotspot

Family members mourn the loss of 15-year-old Akash Patni, who tragically died when an Air India flight crashed.

Families of Air India crash victims demand ‘justice and answers’ after report published

An investigation team inspects the wreckage of Air India flight 171 a day after it crashed in a residential area near the airport, in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.

Fuel to engines on doomed Air India plane 'cut off' moments before crash killed 260, report finds

A firefighter stands next to a burnt-out car following mass Russian drone and missile strikes in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv

Poland scrambles jets as Russia bombards Ukraine with massive overnight attack killing at least four

The US has held 'positive' talks with Zelenskyy

Trump confirms plans to send US air defence systems to Ukraine

Platja de Palma, Majorca, Mediterranean Sea, Balearic Islands, Spain, Southern Europe

Blow for holidaymakers in Mallorca as tourists slapped with swimming ban and popular beaches forced to close

Women mourn at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, where the victims of an Israeli strike which hit the Mustafa Hafez school, sheltering Palestinians displaced by the war, were brough

At least 789 people killed while receiving aid in Gaza, UN human rights office says

Carolina Wilga, 26, was found by a member of the public walking near the edge of a remote and rugged nature reserve after her van was discovered abandoned deep in the bush.

'Nothing short of remarkable': Backpacker Carolina Wilga found alive after 12 days in Australian outback

A teenager has died after being buried alive when a sand tunnel he was digging on a beach in Italy suddenly caved in.

Teenager suffocates to death after sand tunnel he built collapses on top of him

The woman drowned after being swept away by strong waves in Roda resort beach, Corfu Island, Greece.

Brit mum, 50, drowns in Corfu in front of husband and teenage son after being swept away by strong waves

Pro-Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil is  suing Trump administration for $20m.

'It felt like kidnapping': Palestinian activist detained by ICE suing Donald Trump administration for $20m

Parts of an Air India plane that crashed on Thursday are seen on top of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 13, 2025.

Investigators look into Air India's vital engine switches after plane crash killed 270 people

A top Ukrainian intelligence officer has been shot dead.

Ukrainian intelligence officer accused of sabotage attacks in Russia shot dead in Kyiv