Putin says West is pushing Russia to its 'red lines'

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday said the West is pushing Russia to its "red lines" and Moscow is being forced to respond, according to a report from Reuters.

In a meeting of defence officials, Putin said that Russia would lift its self-imposed restrictions on the deployment of short and medium-range missiles if the U.S. deploys such missiles.

Putin emphasized that Russia's nuclear weapons are for deterrence.

According to the report, Russia has taken over 189 settlements this year in Ukraine.