Biden: Putin was not joking when he talked about the use of nuclear weapons

US President Joe Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was not joking when he talked about the use of tactical, biological or chemical nuclear weapons.

During a fundraiser in New York City, Biden noted that Putin's threat is real because his military is performing so poorly, as he put it.

"For the first time since the Cuban Missile Crisis in the 1960s, we have a direct threat to use a nuclear weapon if things continue in the direction they are," Biden concluded.

But the White House responded to Biden's statements, saying that Washington did not see any reason to change its nuclear status, and had no indication that Russia was preparing to use nuclear weapons soon. The statement also described the Russian threats as reckless and irresponsible.

"He was confirming what we said, which is how seriously ... we take these threats" from Russia, White House spokeswoman Karen-Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked about Biden's comments.

realization

CNN had quoted US officials as saying that President Biden's warning of the possibility of nuclear war was not based on any new intelligence about Russian President Putin's intention or changes in Moscow's nuclear posture.

The network reported that the United States has not yet seen any evidence that Putin is moving towards the use of Russian nuclear capabilities, and there is no intelligence information showing that he decided to do so.

CNN reported that Biden's assessment surprised many senior US officials, given the lack of any new intelligence and the bleak language of his statements.

An official in the Biden administration said that the US nuclear posture remained the same, and that that would change if there was any worrisome information.

Distortion and intimidation

On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the Russian position on nuclear deterrence has not changed, and that Washington's attempts to distort this position come within the framework of intimidating the international community, he said.

On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a veiled threat to use nuclear weapons, and announced the mobilization of reservists after field progress, which the Ukrainian army announced its investigation into the war with Russia since last February.