Ukraine war live updates: Russia is ready for nuclear war, Putin warns, and Moscow will conduct nuclear tests if the U.S. does

This is CNBC's live blog tracking developments on the war in Ukraine. See below for the latest updates. 

President Vladimir Putin said Russia is technically ready for a nuclear war — and would be ready to conduct nuclear tests if the U.S. did so.

"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready ... [and] constantly in a state of combat readiness," Putin said in an interview with news channel Rossiya-1 and news agency RIA Novosti published Tuesday.

Putin cautioned that the possibility of a nuclear war is not a near-term prospect, with cool heads likely to prevail to prevent a "rushing" toward such a scenario. Ukraine's Western allies, Putin said, had understood that sending ground troops into Ukraine would be seen as an interventionist move, and could lead to a direct conflict between nuclear powers in NATO and Russia.

The interview with pro-Kremlin media came days before Russia's presidential election on March 15-17. Putin is widely expected to win another six years in power given the lack of non-systemic opposition figures in Russia after years of intimidation and harassment.

Putin touched upon a variety of subjects in the interview, largely reiterating comments he made in his recent State of the Nation address that was seen as an election manifesto.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia is technically ready for a nuclear war but cautioned that such an eventuality is not a near-term prospect.

"From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready. They are constantly with us, constantly in a state of combat readiness," Putin said in an interview with news channel Rossiya-1 and news agency RIA Novosti published Tuesday, having been asked whether Russia is ready for nuclear war.

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