Ukraine crisis: Russian President Putin puts nuclear forces on high alert amid tensions with West

Russian President Putin told his defense minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty".

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New Delhi: As tension escalates between Russia and the West over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin on Sunday (February 27) directed Russian nuclear forces put on high alert accusing Western countries of taking "unfriendly" steps against his country. 

After Putin's order asking nuclear weapons be prepared for increased readiness to launch, it has stoked fear of Russian invasion of Ukraine leading to nuclear warfare with the West, AP reported. 

Russia has the world's second-largest arsenal of nuclear weapons forming the country's deterrence forces, news agency AFP reported

Putin told his defense minister and the chief of the military's General Staff to put the nuclear deterrent forces in a "special regime of combat duty". "Western countries aren't only taking unfriendly actions against our country in the economic sphere, but top officials from leading NATO members made aggressive statements regarding our country," AP quoted him as saying. 

Meanwhile, after denying talks with Russia in Belarus, the office of Ukraine's president later today said that a delegation would meet with Russian officials at Belarus border.  

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had earlier rejected Russia’s offer for peace talks in Belarus. Zelenskyy had named Warsaw, Bratislava, Istanbul, Budapest or Baku as places to hold talks with Russia, adding that he is ready for a discussion at other places except for Belarus. 

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov informed that a Russian delegation including military officials and diplomats had arrived in the Belarusian city of Homel for talks with Ukrainian officials. “The Russian delegation is ready for talks, and we are now waiting for the Ukrainians,” Peskov said. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Saturday said that Minsk was ready to provide a venue for initiating peace talks. 

In another development, the Kremlin said Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has offered to help broker peace with Ukraine. Bennett told the Russian President in a call on Sunday that Israel is ready to play mediator, the Krelim said without specifying if Putin accepted the offer. 

(With agency inputs)