5:57 p.m., Gentilly. As Joe Biden raises fears of a “nuclear apocalypse” and the tone hardens between Russia on the one hand, and the European Union and the United States on the other, Vladimir Putin says he is ready to use a “tactical weapon”.

I had never imagined, let alone anticipated, having to live in a time when the active threat of nuclear war would resurface. A threshold has been crossed in recent days.