Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday said that the threat of a nuclear war should not be underestimated as he accused the US of provoking an arms race after abandoning various agreements.

During his annual live-broadcast press conference, Putin said there was a trend to undermine the dangers a nuclear war could bring. He went on to say there was also a trend to reduce the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons which could lead to a global nuclear catastrophe, Efe news reported.