Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the threat of a nuclear war is on the rise, as reported by Reuters. 

Key takeaways

"Russia will defend its allies with all available means."

"Russia does not have tactical nuclear weapons in other countries unlike the United States."

"We didn't speak about usage of nuclear weapons."

"Russia has not gone mad."

"We have most advanced weapons, but do not want to wave them around."

"Russia considers such weapons as deterrent."

Market reaction

These comments don't seem to be having a significant impact on risk perception. As of writing, the S&P 500 Index was virtually unchanged on the day at 3,940.