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Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said he's ready to use nuclear weapons to defend Russian territory. This raises fears he might use a small, or 'tactical' nuclear weapon in Ukraine as the country's military takes back ground in regions Russia illegally annexed and claims as its own.

Jon Wolfstahl, is a former White House adviser who sat on the US National Security Council. He says Putin has "exposed himself" militarily and increasing economic pressure means the risk of him using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine has gone up. However, he argues that to do so would show Russia is incapable of winning the war conventionally. The US and its allies would be more likely to respond with political and economic actions that would weaken Russia in non-nuclear war: "We have many more advantages on the conventional battlefield and economic battlefront to really punish Putin to a point where he gains no advantage from using a nuclear weapon."

(Photo: A Russian soldier stands next to an Iskander missile in silhouette Credit: Getty Images)