US Military Vet: It's Scary How West Pushes World to Precipice of Nuclear War

During a meeting with foreign press, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against thoughtless conflict escalation, stressing that Moscow could repel NATO attempts to threaten its sovereignty both asymmetrically and directly.

Addressing the Ukraine conflict the Russian president noted that Western weapon deliveries to the Kiev regime, coupled with the approval to hit targets deep inside Russia, is fraught with severe escalation risks.

"How do you respond to this use of weapons and allowing them to attack and basically violate the sovereignty of Russia itself?" Earl Rasmussen, a retired US Army lieutenant colonel and international consultant told Sputnik.

 "If we look at these attacks, they're not targeting military targets, or they're targeting strategic targets. They're targeting civilians, many of them, or strategic targets as well. It's essentially, basically authorizing and supporting terrorism."