Dmitry Polyanskiy, Russia’s deputy UN ambassador, has stated that Moscow has the right to use nuclear weapons if NATO “provokes” it.

The chilling warning came after Vladimir Putin’s spokesman refused to rule out nuking Ukraine in the face of a “existential threat.”

When asked if Putin was correct to hold nuclear war as a threat to the rest of the world, Mr Polyanskiy told Sky News:

‘If NATO provokes Russia, if NATO attacks Russia, why not? We are a nuclear power.’

‘I don’t believe it’s the right thing to say. But threatening Russia and attempting to interfere is not the right thing to do.

‘Of course, when dealing with a nuclear power, you have to calculate all the possible outcomes of your behavior.’

Polyanskiy spoke from Russia’s UN mission in New York, where portraits of President Putin adorn the walls.

He rejected the US government’s formal declaration that members of Russia’s armed forces committed war crimes in Ukraine.

Between sips of lemon tea, he speculated that footage showing Ukraine’s cities reduced to rubble as a result of Russian bombing could be a forgery. He also claimed that Ukraine is bombing its own civilians and buildings.

He continued,

‘You believe one thing, and I believe another.’