On January 2, 2018, US president Donald Trump threatened North Korea that the US has much more nuclear firepower than North Korea in response to a press release stating that a "nuclear button is on Kim Jong-un's desk at all times." On February 24, 2022, in the TV address where Vladimir Putin announced Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Putin warned that any countries interfering would face consequences they had never encountered in their history. This was widely interpreted as being a threat of nuclear attack. Several days later, Putin put Russia's nuclear forces on a higher state of alert. See also Brinkmanship Deterrence theory Essentials of Post–Cold War Deterrence Mutual assured destruction Nuclear terrorism Samson Option References Nuclear strategy Extortion