Ukraine-Russia war live: Putin warns Europe is ‘defenceless’ against his nuclear weapons

“The use is possible in an exceptional case, in the event of a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. I don’t think that such a case has come. There is no such need,” replied Putin.

The Russian president has unnerved commentators in the West by testing missiles that can be armed with a nuclear warhead. Russian media has also talked up the possibility of the Kremlin test-firing its first nuclear weapon since 1990, a threat that Putin repeated on Friday.

“If necessary, we will conduct tests. So far, there is no need for this,” he said.

With his forces on the offensive in Ukraine, Western politicians squabbling over military aid for Kyiv and the successful purge of Russia’s Ministry of Defence, blamed for the botched initial invasion of Ukraine, Putin has appeared more relaxed and confident in the past month.

And Russians milling around outside the main forum hall said that Putin was a hero who had saved Russia. Many were queuing to buy T-shirts branded with his quotes justifying his war in Ukraine.

Although economists have warned that Russian GDP growth is premised mainly on military spending, Putin boasted that Western sanctions had failed to dent Russia’s economy and he was strengthening Russia’s ties with countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia.