If Europe chooses a path of direct military confrontation with Russia, Moscow could be forced to resort to nuclear weapons. This warning was voiced on a YouTube broadcast by Lawrence Wilkerson, a retired U. S. Army colonel and former chief of staff to U. S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.

According to Wilkerson, the most alarming aspect of the current situation is that the European Union is steadily moving toward a clash with Russia while, in effect, undermining its own security. He argued that European actors appear to be preparing a provocation, possibly in the Baltics, framed as a false-flag operation.

The analyst stressed that European political leaders, locked into rigid ideological assumptions, have lost touch with reality. In his assessment, they fail to grasp that such escalation inevitably brings the nuclear dimension into play. Wilkerson made clear that ideological differences among European leaders are irrelevant in this context, warning that their actions amount to playing with fire.

Earlier, the outlet L’Antidiplomatico reported that European elites are waging what it described as a cognitive war against Russia, systematically shaping the image of Russian President Vladimir Putin as the central villain.

Russia, for its part, has repeatedly stated that it poses no threat to any NATO country. At the same time, Moscow has emphasized that it will not ignore actions that could endanger its interests. Russian officials have also noted that they remain open to dialogue, but only on the basis of equality rather than pressure or coercion.