US President Joe Biden on Thursday issued a warning about the dangers behind Russian President Vladimir Putin’s nuclear threats as Moscow continues to face military difficulties in Ukraine.
“For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have a direct threat from the use (of a) nuclear weapon if indeed things continue the way they are going,” Biden warned during remarks at a Democratic fundraiser in New York. York, where he was introduced by James Murdoch, the youngest son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
He added: “I don’t think there is the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuke and not end up in Armageddon “.
It’s striking that the president speaks so candidly and invokes Armageddon, particularly at a fundraiser, while his National Security Council advisers to the State Department and the Pentagon spoke in much more moderate terms, saying they take the threats seriously, but they don’t see movement in them around the Kremlin.
“I’m trying to figure out what Putin’s on-ramp is?” Biden said during the event: “Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself in a position where he not only loses fame, but loses significant power within Russia?”
His comments come as the US considers how to respond to a range of potential scenarios, including fears that the Russians could use tactical nuclear weapons, according to three sources inside the latest intelligence report previously reported by the US. CNN .
Officials warned on Thursday that the US had not detected preparations for a nuclear strike. However, experts see them as potential options the US must brace for as Russia’s invasion falters and Moscow annexes more Ukrainian territory.
“This nuclear saber noise is reckless and irresponsible,” said Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder on Thursday. “As I mentioned before, at this stage we do not have any information that would lead us to change our strategic deterrence stance, and we do not assess that President Putin has made the decision to use nuclear weapons at this time.”
After Biden’s comments, officials emphasized to the CNN on Thursday night that they saw no change in Russia’s nuclear posture.
A US official said that despite Biden’s warning that the world is the closest it has been to a nuclear crisis since the 1960s, they have not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture so far.
Tuesday’s statement by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre that there was no indication of a change in Russia’s stance and therefore no change in US stance still stands, the official said.
A US government official expressed surprise at the president’s comments, saying there were no obvious signs of a growing threat from Russia.
While there is no doubt that Russia’s nuclear stance is being taken seriously, this official said the president’s language at a fundraiser tonight caught other government officials off guard.
“Nothing was detected today that reflected an escalation,” said the official, who went on to defend Biden’s comments due to the gravity of the matter.
At the fundraiser, Biden was speaking clearly about the threat officials believe Russia poses, a person familiar with the matter told CNN .
Still, US officials took grim note of the Russian president’s repeated public threats to use nuclear weapons. In a televised speech late last month, Putin said: “If the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, we will undoubtedly use all available means to protect Russia and our people. This is not a bluff.”
Last Friday, at a ceremony in which he announced the illegal annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Putin said Russia would use “all available means” to defend the areas, adding that the US “has set a precedent” for nuclear attacks in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings of World War II.
“We have a guy I know quite well,” Biden said of Putin on Thursday. “He’s not kidding when he talks about the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his armed forces are arguably underperforming significantly.”
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
