The Kremlin said on Tuesday that people should re-listen to a warning issued by President Vladimir Putin who said the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles.

The Kremlin said on Sunday that amendments to Russia's nuclear doctrine had been prepared and were about to be formalised, meaning the relevant documents setting out the circumstances in which nuclear arms can be used by Moscow will be updated.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said on Sunday that Moscow's revised nuclear weapons doctrine is needed because NATO infrastructure is approaching Russia's borders ever more closely. Peskov told Russian state television that Western powers are seeking victory over Russia through their arms deliveries to Ukraine.