US strongly warns Russia over possible nuclear threat

The U.S. has warned the Kremlin of the devastating consequences Russia would face should nuclear weapons be used in Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday.

“If Russia crosses this line, there will be catastrophic consequences for Russia,” Sullivan said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “The United States will respond decisively. In private channels, we have spelled out in greater detail exactly what that would mean.”

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he does not believe Putin was bluffing when he said last week that he would be justified in using any force necessary – implying tactical nuclear weapons are not off the table.

“He wants to scare the whole world,” Zelenskyy said.

EU split over welcoming fleeing Russian citizens

EU nations have remained remarkably unified in their opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine despite the huge toll they’re paying in sky-high energy prices. Now, another issue related to the war threatens to test their resolve.

As thousands of Russians of fighting age flee the country to escape a mobilization of civilians that aims to boost troops by 300,000, EU members are debating whether to grant them asylum.

Germany and France have expressed an interest in providing refuge, and a group of more than 40 French senators said, “Closing our frontiers would fit neither with our values nor our interests.”

But that’s not a unanimous stance among the bloc’s 27 members.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the three Baltic countries that once were a part of the Soviet Union and share a border with Russia, have voiced opposition to opening their doors to Russian refugees.