Vladimir Putin has issued his latest dire threat, this time apparently in response to a New York Times report last week that some unidentified Western officials had suggested Joe Biden could give Ukraine nuclear weapons before he leaves office, writes Sky News.

Speaking at a meeting of a security alliance of ex-Soviet countries in Astana, Kazakhstan, the Russian president insisted the country “will not allow this”.

“In this case, we will accept and use everything, I want to emphasise this, namely all the means of destruction at Russia’s disposal. If someone officially transfers something, then it will mean a violation of all the obligations assumed in the area of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Well, we will not allow this to happen to Ukraine itself. We will monitor every step of what is happening there”, - said Putin.

He added it was practically impossible for Ukraine to produce a nuclear weapon, but that it might be able to make some kind of “dirty bomb”.