French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s new threats regarding Russia's readiness for nuclear war, has stated that France is a "nuclear power" and it is inappropriate to make such threats when "you have nuclear weapons".

"We must first and foremost feel protected, because we are a nuclear power. We are ready; we have a doctrine [for the use of nuclear weapons]," he said, as quoted by Le Figaro.

The French president noted in interviews with TF1 and France 2 television channels that it is inappropriate to issue such threats when "you have nuclear weapons".

He said that when it comes to nuclear weapons, there is no need to boast, as this imposes "on us the responsibility never to escalate".

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West that Russia is technically prepared for a nuclear war and that should the US send troops to Ukraine, it would be regarded as a considerable escalation of the war.

On 10 March, the New York Times noted that the United States was preparing a "non-nuclear" response in late 2022 if Russia used nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

On 9 March, CNN reported that at the end of 2022, the United States had started "preparing rigorously" for the possibility that Russia could launch a nuclear strike against Ukraine.

On 29 February, Putin addressed Russia’s Federal Assembly, speaking about, among other things, the "full readiness" of nuclear forces and warning of the consequences if NATO were to deploy troops to Ukraine.