Vladimir Putin has ramped up the rhetoric against the West, saying he is prepared to use 'more than just tanks', after feeling 'threatened' by NATO's military package to Ukraine.

In a fiery speech in Volgograd to mark the 80-year anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad, Putin said he was ready to draw on Russia's entire arsenal, which includes nuclear weapons, in retaliation to the West's 'aggression'.

The tyrant said: 'We don't send our tanks to their borders but we have the means to respond, and it won't end with the use of armoured vehicles, everyone must understand that. A modern war with Russia will be completely different.'

Putin also appeared to aim a threat at the US as he insisted Russia has 'friends all over the world, including on the American continent' - a carefully worded reminder that the Kremlin can still count on the likes of Cuba and Venezuela as allies. 

Loyalists in the Kremlin echoed his messages today, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov warning that Russia will 'make greater use of its potential' in response to the West's escalation of the war.

Putin, who was closely followed by two aides carrying black bags said to contain his 'nuclear football' - the briefcase which can launch a nuclear attack from anywhere in the world - invoked the spirit of Stalingrad in his menacing comments.