“Whatever you think of Vladimir Putin ― or Donald Trump, for that matter ― they are the presidents of the world’s nuclear superpowers. Piling sanctions on Russia means escalating tensions. And that’s extremely dangerous.

“When this year began, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its risk-estimate Doomsday Clock closer to apocalyptic midnight than at any time since 1953. ‘The probability of global catastrophe is very high, and the actions needed to reduce the risks of disaster must be taken very soon,’ the Bulletin’s expert panel warned.

“If new sanctions target Russia, the predictable results will include angry responses from the Kremlin and more polarized attitudes in both countries ― damaging the prospects for any détente while boosting a spiral of mutual hostility.

“Democratic lawmakers rightly deride Republicans for their ‘climate change denial,’ but both parties are locked into a kind of ‘nuclear war denial’ in relation to Russia. The latest sanctions bill is part of an obsession with denouncing Russia that leaves scant room for considering how to reduce the dangers of nuclear war between the two countries.”