RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin vowed today to achieve Moscow’s goals in Ukraine and warned the West against deeper involvement.

He said any further involvement by the West in the “special military operation” would risk sparking a global nuclear conflict.

During his annual state of the nation address, which comes just ahead of next month’s presidential election, Mr Putin said he was determined to protect the gains made by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine began two years ago.

Referring to remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this week that the future deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine should not be “ruled out,” Mr Putin warned that such an escalation of the conflict would lead to “tragic” consequences.

He said that Western allies, while accusing Russia of plans to attack Nato member countries in Europe, were “selecting targets for striking our territory and selecting the most efficient — as they think — striking assets and talking about the possibility of sending a Nato contingent to Ukraine.

“We remember the fate of those who sent their troop contingents to the territory of our country,” the Russian president said. “Now the consequences for the potential invaders will be far more tragic.”

Speaking to an audience of legislators and top officials, Mr Putin said the West should keep in mind that “we also have the weapons that can strike targets on their territory and what they are now suggesting and scaring the world with. All that raises the real threat of a nuclear conflict that will mean the destruction of our civilisation.”

He stressed that Moscow’s nuclear forces were in “full readiness,” claiming that the military has deployed potent new weapons, some of them tested on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Mr Putin said they included the new Sarmat heavy intercontinental ballistic missile that has entered service with Russian nuclear forces, along with the Burevestnik atomic-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon atomic-powered, nuclear-armed drone, which are completing their tests.

In a speech that focused heavily on the growing economy and social issues in Russia ahead of the March 15-17 presidential election, Mr Putin claimed that his country was “defending its sovereignty and security and protecting our compatriots” in Ukraine.

He held a moment of silence for Russian soldiers killed in the war. Russia has twice expanded its armed forces since invading its neighbour, including through widening conscription.