‘World War III Has Begun’: Putin Fast-Tracks Nuclear Triad as Zelenskyy Sounds Global Alarm

Russian leader prioritizes nuclear forces on Defender of the Fatherland Day while Ukrainian president warns Putin won’t stop at Ukraine

In a chilling convergence of rhetoric that has sent shockwaves through international capitals, President Vladimir Putin declared Russia’s nuclear triad development an “absolute priority” on Monday, just as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a stark warning that “World War III” is already underway. Speaking during Russia’s Defender of the Fatherland Day celebrations while presenting awards to officers involved in the Ukraine invasion, Putin emphasized that strengthening the country’s three-pronged nuclear delivery system “guarantees Russia’s security and ensures effective strategic deterrence and a balance of forces in the world.” The Russian leader’s commitment to accelerating what military experts call the nuclear triad—Russia’s ability to launch atomic weapons from land, sea, and air—comes three years after Moscow suspended participation in the New START Treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement with Washington.

The dueling declarations have dramatically escalated tensions on the third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, with Zelenskyy telling the BBC that Putin’s ambitions extend far beyond Ukrainian territory. “I believe that Putin has already started World War III. The question is how much territory he will be able to seize and how to stop him,” the Ukrainian leader warned, describing the conflict as part of Moscow’s broader attempt to impose a “different way of life” on the world. Zelenskyy cautioned that even if Ukraine ceded territory in a peace deal, Russia would likely rebuild its military strength within “no more than a couple of years” and launch another invasion. “Where would he go next? We do not know, but that he would want to continue is a fact,” Zelenskyy added, as Putin simultaneously vowed to “significantly” enhance Russian armed forces’ combat readiness based on experience gained during the Ukraine war, raising urgent questions about NATO’s preparedness for a wider European conflict.