![As Ukraine tensions mount, Putin says Russia has 'every right' to 'react harshly to unfriendly steps'](https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/211221154927-putin-nato-122121-super-tease.jpg)
As Ukraine tensions mount, Putin says Russia has 'every right' to 'react harshly to unfriendly steps'
CNN
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country has "every right" to "react harshly to unfriendly steps" as the US and NATO continue to pressure Moscow over its aggression towards Ukraine.
The US and its allies have warned Russia about the consequences of further hostilities amid its continued military buildup near the Ukraine border -- a move that US intelligence has assessed as preparation for a full-scale invasion in early 2022.
Speaking on Tuesday, NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that while the alliance is ready to engage in "meaningful dialogue" with Russia, it will continue to support Ukraine "politically and practically."
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250216092711.jpg)
Amid Democrats’ shock and bickering over how much to respond to President Donald Trump is a deeper question rippling through leaders across the Capitol and across the country: How much should they rely on the same institutional and procedural maneuvers they used during the first Trump term, and how much are they willing to wield their own wrecking balls?
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250215102651.jpg)
In less than a month in office the Trump administration has simultaneously dismantled foreign aid programs that support fragile democracies abroad and put on leave federal workers who protect US elections at home in a move that current and former officials say abandons decades of American commitments to democracy.
![](/newspic/picid-6252001-20250215092938.jpg)
Sen. Mitch McConnell was a generational force for the Republican Party — using procedural tactics and political will to stymie much of former President Barack Obama’s agenda, hand President Donald Trump key first-term political victories and deliver a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority. Now he’s the odd man out.