Russian President Vladimir Putin warned of a potential nuclear war if NATO states were to militarily intervene in his conflict in Ukraine as he held his annual State of the Nation address two weeks before his expected re-election. The West should remember that Russia also has weapons that could hit targets on its territory, he told 1,000 representatives from politics, business, culture and religion. The 71-year-old emphasized that any escalation and the use of nuclear weapons could lead to the “extinction of civilization.” This was not a “cartoon film,” Putin said. NATO countries have sent Ukr…