Former CIA director says US would destroy Russia’s entire military if Putin uses nuclear weapons

It comes after Putin claimed four regions of Ukraine in a move which has been branded 'illegal'

The US would destroy Russia's troops if Vladimir Putin used nuclear weapons, a former CIA boss has said. Speaking on ABC's This Week programme, David Petraeus condemned the Russian president for claiming four areas of Ukraine, in so-called referendums which were branded "illegal" by international leaders. At a signing ceremony in Moscow last week, Putin said the people of the regions he's planning to annex have made their decision. "The results are known, well known," he said, "People made their choice - the only choice." [caption id="attachment_361391" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Moscow-appointed heads of four Ukrainian regions (Image: Getty)[/caption] Patraeus said it was a "desperate" move from Putin whose troops are retreating. While Petraeus is yet to speak to US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about what the US's response would be to threats of nuclear weapon use, he suggested the US and other countries would destroy Russia's military. https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1576726353944231937 "Just to give you a hypothetical, we would respond by leading a NATO - a collective - effort that would take out every Russian conventional force that we can see, and identify on the battlefield in Ukraine and also in Crimea and every ship in the Black Sea," he said. Patraeus said the threat would trigger a US and NATO response, adding: "It cannot go unanswered. But it doesn't expand. It's not nuclear for nuclear.  You don't want to, again, get into a nuclear escalation here. But you have to show that this cannot be accepted in any way." He added that Putin is losing despite "significant" and "desperate" moves in the war that has raged since February.

"President [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy and Ukraine have mobilised vastly better than Russia," Petraeus said, "Ukraine has recruited, trained, equipped, organised and employed force incomparably better than Russia has."

Asked if Russia could win the war, Petraeus said: "They cannot. There is nothing he [Putin] can do at this point." [caption id="attachment_361930" align="alignnone" width="2048"] Putin speaks at concert in support of the annexation of four Ukrainian regions at Red Square, Moscow on Friday ( Getty)[/caption] In his speech on Friday, Putin claimed the West is trying to take over Russia and that the energy crisis has been created by "many years of wrong policies" that happened way before the war in Ukraine.

The president then signed documents, before the audience applauded and chanted: "Russia! Russia! Russia!"

A celebration and concert is due to take place near Red Square in central Moscow this evening, with people reportedly being paid to attend.

Pertaeus admitted that Europe is going to have "a tough winter" with reduced gas supplies, but said "they'll get through it and I don't think they'll crack on the issue of support for Ukraine."

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