Liz Truss accuses Putin of ‘sabre rattling’ over nuclear threats and reservists call-up

Prime Minister Liz Truss meets Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska, far right, and French first lady Brigitte Macron, far left, at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York City (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Vladimir Putin’s warning that Russia will use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself has been dismissed as “sabre rattling” by British prime minister Liz Truss.

The Russian president’s comments in a televised address to the nation appeared to suggest the conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis.