 The Kremlin is again threatening Western countries with nuclear weapons. The pressure being put on Russia by Western countries is dangerously balancing on the edge of a direct military conflict between nuclear powers. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told a regional seminar in Bishkek. The response measures that we had to take, which included the important aspect of protecting the external security contour on the Western Axis, has been used by our adversaries as a pretext to start putting military pressure on Russia. He continued as he warned that, this pressure has been dangerously balancing on the edge of a direct military conflict between nuclear powers. The senior Russian diplomat also lamented that the NATO Allies chose to pursue a non-stop, malicious expansion and efforts towards military and geopolitical absorption of territories in the zone of Russia's essential interests in an assertive way. Meanwhile, today's crisis is far from being resolved and disposing a major risk of further escalation. Ryabkov concluded. It should be noted that Russia has relied on Western fears of nuclear escalation to manipulate Ukraine's supporters in Washington, Berlin and other Western capitals. The result has been self-deterrence out of fear of pushing Russia too far. The US administration in particular has allowed itself to be played by Putin in this way. It has limited military aid, placed strict restrictions on how Ukraine can use certain weapons and delayed the required permission for various NATO allies to re-export US-made weapons to Ukraine. If the United States and its allies truly want Ukraine to win, it is high time to see through the Kremlin's manipulation.