Kremlin warns of nuclear war if the European Union backs Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons on Russian soil, escalating tensions to Cold War levels.

The Kremlin has had little success invoking its nuclear arsenal to deter Ukraine and the West from using new tactics to stop Russia’s invasion. That may be changing.

A close ally of President Vladimir Putin warned Western governments on Thursday that a nuclear war would ensue if they gave the green light for Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to strike targets deep inside Russia.

Former Los Alamos lab director Siegfried Hecker proposes a series of nine questions on great power competition, the global nuclear order, proliferation, and the role of nuclear energy that journalists and citizens should ask the 2024 presidential candidates.

Western leaders fear Russia traded nuclear secrets to Iran in exchange for ballistic missiles aimed at Ukraine, escalating global tensions.

A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with Western missiles would lead to global war with the use of nuclear weapons and that Moscow's response would be tough with more powerful weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if the West backs Ukraine's use of long-range missiles, it risks escalating the war into direct conflict with NATO. He emphasized that Moscow would respond decisively if its territory is targeted,

Russia warned the West and Ukraine on Friday of "disastrous consequences" if Kyiv moved against close Russian ally Belarus, making clear it would intervene to defend a country where it has deployed tactical nuclear weapons.