Ambassador-at-large, Ukraine Foreign Ministry - Olexander Scherba

Vladimir Putin is reported to have said he could take the Ukrainian capital Kiev in two weeks if he wanted to. As he offers increasingly brazen support to the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, his message to the West is clear - don't mess with Russia.

Hardtalk speaks to senior Ukrainian diplomat Olexander Scherba. Can Kiev afford to risk all-out war with Moscow?