Putin seeks to 'normalise situation' as Russians sense something 'really wrong going on'
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President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday of a "real" risk of nuclear war if the West escalates the conflict in Ukraine, offering a defiant and emboldened stance in his annual speech to Russians. Speaking in Moscow, Putin said his soldiers were advancing in Ukraine and warned the West of "tragic consequences" for any country that dared to send troops to Kyiv. Putin's comments appeared to be a response to French President Emmanuel Macron's refusal earlier this week to rule out sending troops to Ukraine -- a stance swiftly disavowed by other leaders in Europe. The debate has struck a nerve in Moscow, which has long seen its conflict with Ukraine as part of a wider "hybrid war" being waged against it by NATO. Amid Putin's stark warning to the West, François Picard is joined by Anton Shekhovtsov, external Lecturer at the University of Vienna, Founder of the Centre for Democratic Integrity.