US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pledged this week that any move by Vladimir Putin on Ukraine will be met with clear, swift, and a united response from the United States and its NATO allies. It was one more sign of a looming crisis that has much of the world on edge. The Russians have amassed as many as 100,000 troops on the Ukraine border prompting the US to pull diplomats out of Kiev over fears for their safety. And now, the US has put as many as 8500 troops on alert for possible deployment in support of NATO. Seventy-Seven years after the end of World War II are we really on the verge of another ground war in Europe? Or does Putin have another game plan? Our guest John Sipher, retired from a 28-year career at the CIA with time spent in Moscow and also running the CIA’s Russia operations, gives us his insight as to what we are potentially dealing with.GUEST:John Sipher (@john_sipher), Former CIA Clandestine Service - Now @SpycraftEnt @AtlanticCouncilHOSTS:Michael Isikoff (@Isikoff), Chief Investigative Correspondent, Yahoo NewsDaniel Klaidman (@dklaidman), Editor in Chief, Yahoo NewsVictoria Bassetti (@VBass), fellow, Brennan Center for Justice (contributing co-host) RESOURCES:Andrew Romano's latest Yahoo News/YouGov story - Here.John Sipher's Bio on the Atlantic Council - Here.Follow us on Twitter: @SkullduggeryPodListen and subscribe to "Skullduggery" on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.Email us with feedback, questions or tips: SkullduggeryPod@yahoo.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.