Vladimir Putin has named European countries “with a small territory and a very dense population” as targets for a nuclear strike or invasion. On Tuesday, he reminded these “small European countries” that they are playing with fire. The chilling warning comes as a growing number of NATO allies have backed Ukrainian strikes inside Russia.

Speaking in Uzbekistan this week, President Putin said: “In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with. They should remember that they are usually a country with a small territory and a very dense population. They should keep this factor in mind before they talk about striking deep into Russian territory.”

The Russian leader warned of “serious consequences” and hinted at a possible nuclear response and an outbreak of world war. President Putin said: “This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences. If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, bearing in mind our parity in the field of strategic weapons. Do they want a global conflict?”

Just 24 hours after this warning, a senior member of a Putin-backed thinktank suggested President Putin consider a “demonstrative” nuclear explosion to scare the West into blocking Ukraine from using its arms inside Russia.

Dmitry Suslov, of the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy – which has close ties to the Kremlin, wrote: “The political and psychological effect of a nuclear mushroom cloud, which will be shown live on all TV channels worldwide, will hopefully remind Western politicians of the one thing that has prevented wars between the great powers since 1945 and that they have now largely lost – fear of nuclear war.”

Despite the nuclear threats targeting small European countries, many Western allies have called his bluff.

On Wednesday, the French and German leaders both backed Ukraine‘s use of Western missiles inside Russia.

At a joint conference, French President Emmanuel Macron said “we don’t want escalation” but Ukraine could attack “military sites from which missiles are fired”.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Germany would not prohibit Ukrainian attacks on Russian military targets, saying Ukraine “is allowed to defend itself.”

It comes just weeks after British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron faced backlash from the Kremlin over lifting restrictions on Ukraine using British-supplied weapons to fire into Russia.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Western leaders to pressure Russia into peace by “all means” necessary amid fears Kyiv lacks the weaponry needed to repel the invaders.

He said that Russia was dropping 3,200 guided bombs on Ukraine each month, adding: “How do you fight that?”

Russian sources told Reuters last week that the Russian President was indeed willing and ready to halt the war in Ukraine with a negotiated ceasefire that recognises the current battlefield lines – or fight on if the West does not respond.