Ukraine war live: Russia election begins as China responds to Putins nuclear warning [Video]

China has warned Russia that a nuclear war “cannot be won” and must “never” be fought after Vladimir Putin said he was “ready” for conflict.

The Russian president said in an interview earlier this week that his country was “ready” for nuclear war from a “military-technical point of view”.

But he has now been slapped down by Beijing, which said nuclear powers should “jointly seek de-escalation”.

“China believes that all nuclear weapon states need to embrace the idea of common security and uphold global strategic balance and stability,” Wang Wenbin said.

“Under the current circumstances, parties need to take concrete actions and jointly seek de-escalation,” he added.

Meanwhile, voters head to the polls in Russia today for a three-day presidential election that is all but certain to extend president Vladimir …