PUTIN is deadly serious about "confronting the West" - and the use of nuclear weapons should not be ruled out, a former US ambassador has warned.
Frank G. Wisner, who served under President Bill Clinton, lashed out at Putin and described the Russian tyrant as "extraordinarily reckless".
As Volodymyr Zelensky campaigns for more fighter jets, ammo and drones in his bid to bolster support from the West, it's feared that fresh reinforcements could send Vlad into an unpredictable spiral.
The US House has now approved £ 49 billion ($61bn) in military aid to strengthen Ukraine's 600-mile frontline.
The Ukraine president hailed it as a monumental decision "that keeps history on the right tracks" after the package was stalled for six months by republican hardliners.
With near impunity, Moscow has exploited that delay - pounding Ukraine's cities and critical infrastructure and exhausting its air defence arsenal.
But with a new wave of military aid, replenishing ammo and re-stocking exhausted weapon supplies - Vlad's forces could soon be on the back foot once more.
Speaking to The Sun, US Ambassador Frank G. Wisner warned a nuclear attack by Russia on the West should not be ruled out.
Frank served as a US ambassador to India, the Philippines, Egypt and Zambia under several Presidents including Bill Clinton and George Bush Snr.
Nuclear warfare, even limited nuclear warfare, has huge consequences.
They would be extremely painful for Russia, not to mention the rest of us.
Frank G. Wisner
He described Vlad as a "reckless" leader "First, in the invasion of Ukraine, and second, in the threats that he's deployed surrounding this invasion of Ukraine, including the threat of nuclear warfare."
Frank added: "At the same time, I have to balance his threats against reality.
"He's signed up his military in a war with Ukraine. How much does he have left over to fight a broader conflict?
"There's some limitations - Russian military capacity, to say the least. But is he capable of accelerating or expanding the war? Yes.
"Could he do so with unconventional means, like a nuclear weapon? It's not to be ruled out."
Recently the grieving widow of Alexei Navalny, Putin's number one foe, claimed "unpredictable" Putin was ready to use nuclear weapons.
She warned that the power-hungry President wanted to keep the world living in fear and "nobody knows what Putin is going to do next".
Military experts also warned that the Russian tyrant would "sacrifice everything", and could even launch a nuclear weapon into orbit if he felt his iron grip was slipping.
But if things swing in Ukraine's favour, it's feared erratic Vlad could hit the nuclear button and spark the beginning of WW3.
Franks explains that any type of nuclear attack, even a smaller tactical nuke strike, would have huge consequences for all of us.
But he believes Putin's threat could all be bravado in a bid to show the Russian population he is serious about taking on the West.
He said: "...Nuclear warfare, even limited nuclear warfare, has huge consequences.
"They would be extremely painful for Russia, not to mention the rest of us.
"So I'm not... sitting up at night believing he's about to launch limited nuclear attacks on the West. I don't see that.
"I think it's mainly as a warning to the West about the extent of our support for Ukraine.
"And it's a signal to the Russian population that he's deadly serious about confronting the West - to the point of threatening nuclear warfare."
Following in the steps of his predecessors, Frank believes Putin "enjoys the exercise of power".
Over the last few months, we have seen him storm to a landslide victory in his slam Russian elections as well as wiping out his number one enemy Navalny.
Former ambassador Wisner said: "Putin believes the nature of Russia is to have strong centralised, personalised rule by a powerful leader.
"And that he is the heir of this ancient tradition of strong, personalised rule. So he has no problem carrying on.
"He enjoys the exercise of power, and he thinks that exercise is in line with the traditions of Russian history."
Because of this, Frank believes Putin will be around to make threats against the West for the foreseeable.
But warned that if support for Ukraine from Western governments were to stop, we could see the war end in as little as six months.
Frank said: "I have learned over a lifetime in diplomacy and observation of world affairs, don't predict timelines.
"I don't see any immediate challenge to Putin's rule of Russia - but then there are many surprises in store for all of us."
"I cannot predict the end of the Ukraine war unless I predict the collapse of Western support for the government of Ukraine and its military effort.
"If the latter should happen, which would be horrific in its consequences, then I think the war could come to the end one way or another reasonably quickly - six months or so.
"Not because of the capacity or will of the Ukrainian people to resist Russian aggression, but the physical capability to conduct that resistance."
If Russia were to meet its chilling objectives in neighbouring Ukraine, the ex-ambassador says Western security would be under serious threat.
He added: "If Russia is successful in Ukraine and snatches territory from Ukraine, imposes a Russian-friendly regime on Ukraine, and forces Ukraine into a sort of neutral stand between East and West, that's one set of consequences.
"Western security will be threatened. Nations along Russia's frontier - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland - will all face fresh challenges.
"It will not be a pretty picture.
"If, on the other hand, Ukraine can continue to battle against Russian aggression - despite the disparity in population and arms - then there's a different outcome.
"Russia may weary of its undertaking and seek some at least temporary political outcome."
It comes as Poland announced it would be ready to host nuclear weapons on their Nato border with Russia.
President Andrzej Duda said his country will take up nuclear arms if they are asked to by Nato as they look for somewhere to deploy weapons and respond to the latest chilling Putin threats.
The tyrant and his Kremlin cronies started to reinforce their armoury in Belarus and Kaliningrad recently, stocking up on their worrying warfare.
It comes as former Donald Trump aid Steve Bannon told The Sun that if Europe believes Putin is set to unleash WW3 they should up defence spending.
His comments came as he was grilled by The Sun’s Harry Cole on the Never Mind The Ballots show as part of our stateside special.
Political firebrand Bannon - who hosts the "ultraMAGA" podcast WarRoom - was President Trump's controversial chief strategist and senior counsellor following his 2016 election victory.
Bannon said: “If the powers that be in Europe believe that Putin’s going to come across the north German plane into Poland, into Germany.
"If they believe he's going to go to the Balkans, if they believe he’s going to Finland and Scandinavia then step up to the plate and start spending some money.”
BELOW is a timeline of some of the thinly veiled, and more cutthroat threats Vladimir Putin has made against the West with his nuclear arsenal since invading Ukraine two years ago.
FEBRUARY 24, 2022 - Vladimir Putin: “No matter who tries to stand in our way or all the more so create threats for our country and our people, they must know that Russia will respond immediately, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your entire history."
MARCH 26, 2022 - Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: “We have a special document on nuclear deterrence. This document clearly indicates the grounds on which the Russian Federation is entitled to use nuclear weapons. … [This includes] when an act of aggression is committed against Russia and its allies."
APRIL 20, 2022 - Vladimir Putin: “[The new Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying nuclear warheads] will force all who are trying to threaten our country in the heat of frenzied, aggressive rhetoric to think twice."
FEBRUARY 18, 2024: Putin crony Dmitry Medvedev: "Attempts to return Russia to the borders of 1991 will lead to only one thing. Towards a global war with Western countries using the entire strategic arsenal of our state."
FEBRUARY 29, 2024 - Vladimir Putin: “They must understand that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory... All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilization. Don’t they get that?”
MARCH 13, 2024 - Vladimir Putin: "From a military-technical point of view, we are, of course, ready. ... Weapons exist in order to use them. We have our own principles."
Duda spoke at length in an interview on Monday saying: "Russia is increasingly militarising Kaliningrad. Recently it has been relocating its nuclear weapons to Belarus.
"If our allies decide to deploy nuclear arms on our territory as part of nuclear sharing, to reinforce Nato's eastern flank, we are ready to do so.
"I've already talked about it several times. I must admit that when asked about it, I declared our readiness."
Poland sits in a crucial position in terms of the ongoing war in Ukraine with the Nato nation sharing a border with Belarus and the Russian military playground of Kaliningrad.
Ukraine has always been reassured they have Poland's full support if ever needed due to their position.
