OREANDA-NEWS The world is really close to the beginning of the third world war, said Alexei Pushkov, a member of the Federation Council, in a conversation with Tsargrad. He compared the situation with the Caribbean crisis and named the geographical points where the Russian army could collide with US and NATO troops: these are the Black Sea and Ukraine.

"We are really close to this. I believe that we are now moving towards a new version of the Caribbean crisis. <...> Now there are several points where military contact between Russia and the United States with NATO can take place. These are the Black Sea and the territory of Ukraine, if NATO troops appear there. There is a danger here," Pushkov said.

He added that the official position of NATO is non-participation in the conflict, but it is criticized in the West. At the same time, many countries are already included in the confrontation, Pushkov believes. This includes China, which is under American pressure, and Turkey, and many states outside the North Atlantic Alliance.

On May 18, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov, during the New Horizons marathon of the Knowledge society, said that Russia’s doctrine states that it cannot deliver a preventive nuclear strike. It can only be a response to the threat of attack. Borisov also recalled that two naval officers are constantly next to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, they carry a “nuclear suitcase”.