Putin waves nuclear sword in confrontation with the West

By JOHN DANISZEWSKI
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — It has been a long time since the threat of nuclear weapons has been brandished by a world leader, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has just done so. He warned that he has the weapons available if anyone dares to use military means tries to stop the takeover of Ukraine. The threat may have been empty, a mere baring of fangs by the Russian leader. But it brought out thoughts of a nightmare scenario in which Putin’s ambitions in Ukraine could lead to a nuclear war through accident or miscalculation.