Putin's threat of using nuclear weapons amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine has spurred a serious debate that should last longer than the Ukraine conflict. Superpowers of the world have built their nuclear weapon capacities and have been touting it as a 'balancing' act but the Russian threat has proved all such arguments wrong. Nuclear weapons are a real threat in today's world and not just a deterrent to prevent others from attacking. It has been proved that the extraordinary power that comes with nuclear capacities may not be balanced by the responsibility that is presumed on the part of governments — even individuals in cases like Russia's Putin. The world needs to come out of the misconception of nuclear capacities being a potential balance in times of conflict. Though experts believe it is less likely that Russia will use nuclear weapons, the fact remains that it is left upon the discretion of a single person and the entire world is forced to plan its strategies to pacify his unknown intentions. There is a difference between likelihood and certainty. It is not certain that Putin won't use nuclear weapons. For this, one has to consider how much is at stake for the Russian president. He has been playing the Ukraine card for well over a decade and it has been paying dividends for him. In the early years of the past decade, the Ukraine issue had proved to be an elixir for Putin's waning popularity domestically. His image as a strong leader who can stand up for the cause of rebuilding great Russia is widely popular in his country. The extent to which he is willing to go in case of Ukrainian conflict is reflected from his warning to the 'interfering' nations, saying that they could face "consequences as they have never before experienced in history". It is true that the threat of using nuclear weapon — covert and overt — is not new in the world history but the time has come to question it. In the longer run, countries should collectively campaign for ruling out the possibilities of nuclear war by eliminating the dangerous capacities through available strategy frameworks — rather than focusing on building stockpiles for the sake of balance. But certainly, as of now, the prime focus should be on removing the imminent danger in Ukraine where people are unduly forced to bear the vagaries of war. The response posturing of Western countries could be of critical importance at the present moment. Almost all the European superpowers along with the United States have condemned the threat by Russian president Vladmir Putin. The Western nations need to act with an extra bit of caution while responding to Russian excesses. Any undue provocation from their part could lead to disastrous consequences. Currently, a large part of nuclear weapon capacities is concentrated in the conflict zone. Apart from Russia, NATO countries like France and the UK have their own advanced nuclear capabilities. Other NATO countries like Belgium, Germany, Italy etc. allow the exercise of US weapon systems within their territory. The threat is not just around real nuclear attacks, it is also about misperception of a country towards the actions of its rival country. The immediate core purpose should be around ensuring a safe exit of this region from the shadow of nuclear war. It has to be understood that Russia might be needing a 'dignified' exit from the war as the concerted fight of Ukrainians have really tested the capabilities of Russia to a certain extent. The West faces a dual challenge at the present moment — it needs to stand by the Ukrainian people in their brave and resilient fight and, at the same time, allow Putin to end the war. Any irresponsible action or comment from the West will only allow the matter to boil further. An eye for an eye attitude could be highly disastrous. War should always end with peace — through dialogue. As war is not good for any of the participating nations, they can, and should be, convinced to have dialogue, as early as possible. And as things settle down after war, the nuclear question will have to be revisited seriously.