NATO has been urged to a launch a "devastating" response to any Russian nuke strike in Ukraine as the US stages massive war games with its allies.

Poland’s foreign minister said the alliance is sending a clear message to Russia ahead of Vladimir Putin's major speech on the annexing of four regions in Ukraine in an escalation of his seven-month war.

Zbigniew Rau told the NBC News program Meet the Press NOW: "To the best of our knowledge, Putin is threatening to use tactical nuclear weapons on Ukrainian soil, not to attack NATO, which means that NATO should respond in a conventional way.

"But the response should be devastating. And I suppose this is the clear message that the NATO alliance is sending to Russia right now."

US Senator Lindsey Graham also warned any use of nuclear weapons by Russia in Ukraine would be an "an attack… on NATO itself".

Graham said the US and its allies would have to come up with an "overwhelming" response that would be "catastrophic" to Russia in the event of a nuclear strike.

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"From my point of view, the use of a nuclear weapon by Russia in Ukraine would be an attack on NATO itself," he said.

"The radiation would not be confined to Ukraine, you would be irradiating parts of Europe that are under the NATO banner.

"So, if that day ever comes — and I hope and pray it doesn’t — that should be considered by NATO writ large and the United States as an attack by Russia on NATO itself."

Oksana Markarova, Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, said "everyone feels the danger from Russia is high".

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It comes as the US, Japan and South Korea stage massive war games in the Sea of Japan.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force said the exercises will include anti-submarine drills involving a nuclear powered aircraft carrier.

The war games involve the American aircraft carrier USS Ronald Regan, the South Korean destroyer Menmu the Great, and a Japanese Asahi-class destroyer, RT reports.

Since the war began to turn against Putin, fears have been raised he could order the use of tactical nuclear weapons.

He has ordered Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two, telling the West that if it continued what he called its "nuclear blackmail", Moscow would respond with the might of all its vast arsenal.

And Mad Vlad is now set to declare four regions of Ukraine part of Russia after a sham gunpoint referendum vote.

The Russian leader is expected to claim victory in the Ukrainian regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

The four regions cover some 90,000sq km, or about 15 per cent of Ukraine's total area – roughly the size of Hungary or Portugal.

Moscow's Red Square is being prepared for a major speech from Putin, with billboards declaring: "Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson – Russia!"

Putin is due to meet leaders of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic as well as Russian-installed leaders of the parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia that his forces occupy.

On Wednesday, pro-Kremlin officials said all four regions – which represent around 15 per cent of Ukraine's overall territory – had voted to join Russia.

Footage emerged of voters being led to the ballot boxes at gunpoint by pro-Russian paramilitary groups, while election officials were seen appearing to count stacks of unmarked ballot papers as 'Yes' votes.

Other video shows Russian-installed thugs taking ballot boxes door-to-door surrounded by armed men.

Putin's cronies claimed 99 per cent of ballots cast in Donetsk were in favour of joining Russia, 98 per cent in Luhansk, 93 per cent in Zaporizhzhia and 87 per cent in Kherson.

The referendums have been declared illegal by the majority of the international community – and Ukraine has vowed to take back its territory.

Mikhailo Podolyak, Zelensky's adviser, told La Repubblica: "Referendums have no legal value, under international law the regions are and remain territories of Ukraine and Ukraine is ready to do anything to take them back.

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"They were sham votes, in which few people participated.

"To those who went to vote they pointed their rifles in their faces."

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