VIENNA: No one expected progress from this past week's diplomatic marathon to defuse the crisis Russia has ignited in eastern Europe by surrounding Ukraine on three sides with 1,00,000 troops and then, by the White House's accounting, sending in saboteurs to create a pretext for invasion.
But as the Biden administration and Nato conduct tabletop simulations about how the next few months could unfold, they are increasingly wary of another set of options for President Vladimir Putin, steps that are more far-reaching than simply rolling his troops and armour over Ukraine's border.
Putin wants to extend Russia's sphere of influence to eastern Europe and secure commitments that Nato will never again enlarge. If he is frustrated in reaching that goal, his aides said, then he would pursue Russia's security interests with results that would be felt in Europe and the US.
There were hints that nuclear weapons could be shifted to places - perhaps not far from the US coastline - potentially igniting a confrontation with echoes of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
And as Ukrainians were reminded anew on Friday, as the websites of the country's ministries were defaced, Russia's army of hackers can wreak havoc in Ukraine, but also in power grids from Munich to Michigan.
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