From USAtoday.com…
In a significant escalation of East-West tensions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian nuclear deterrent forces put on high alert Sunday. He said the move was a response to “aggressive statements” by leading NATO powers and economic sanctions by the West.
The directive means Putin has ordered Russia’s nuclear weapons prepared for increased readiness to launch, suggesting that tensions could boil over into a nuclear war.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Sunday that Putin’s decision indicates the Russian president is “continuing to escalate” the war in Ukraine in a way that is “unacceptable.”
At the same time, the office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a delegation would meet with Russian officials for talks, near the Belarus border.
