The situation along the Ukraine-Russia border is getting tenser by the minute, as Ukraine calls up its military reserves, and the US ratchets up economic sanctions against Russia.

Vladimir Putin vows a strong response to those sanctions, as he declares separatist regions of eastern Ukraine “independent” and sends in troops that he calls “peacekeepers”

President Biden says Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is already underway. Are we heading for a wider war? Is it too late for diplomacy to end the fighting?

To answer these questions, KCBS Radio news anchors Jeff Bell and Patti Reising as well as Doug Sovern, KCBS Radio political reporter and host of this segment spoke with Leon Panetta, the longtime Monterey congressman who later served as White House Chief of Staff under President Clinton, and both Secretary of Defense and Director of the CIA for President Obama.