Biden doubles down on warning of nuclear 'Armageddon’

President Joe Biden reiterated his perception that Russia’s use of a nuclear weapon in opposition to Ukraine may finish in "Armageddon.”

The president, who first used the phrase on this context final week, argued in an interview on CNN Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “can not proceed with impunity to speak about the usage of a tactical nuclear weapon, as if that’s a rational factor to do.”

“I don’t suppose [Putin] will” use a nuclear weapon, Biden mentioned. “The entire level I used to be making was it may result in only a horrible end result. And never as a result of anyone intends to show it right into a world warfare or something, nevertheless it simply — as soon as you utilize a nuclear weapon, the errors that may be made, the miscalculations, who is aware of what would occur?”

NATO WARNS RUSSIA: PUTIN WOULD 'REGRET' ANY USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

The president was at a fundraiser final week when he warned that for the "first time for the reason that Cuban missile disaster, we've got the direct risk of the usage of a nuclear weapon if, the truth is, issues proceed down the trail that they're going,” including, “I do not suppose there's any such factor as the flexibility to simply [use] a tactical nuclear weapon and never find yourself with Armageddon.”

Regardless of the warning, the White Home has "not seen any purpose to regulate our personal nuclear posture," White Home spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre mentioned on Friday.

Throughout the interview, Biden declined to specify what America's response can be within the occasion Russia makes use of a nuclear weapon.

His feedback comply with Russia's barrage of missile and rocket assaults in additional than 15 cities, together with the capital of Kyiv, on Monday that left roughly a dozen lifeless and 100 extra injured. The Russians launched 84 cruise missiles and 24 drone assaults, about half of which Ukraine was capable of intercept, the Ukrainian Common Employees mentioned.

It was presumably in retaliation for an explosion damaging the Kerch Bridge that hyperlinks Russia to the Crimean Peninsula, which the Ukrainian navy celebrated however didn't formally take credit score for. Putin has threatened to maintain these assaults up along with his frequent risk to make use of a nuclear weapon.

The administration is "actually concerned with expediting" the supply of key air protection techniques to Ukraine, John Kirby, the Nationwide Safety Council's communications coordinator, mentioned in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday. Particularly, it's making an attempt to hurry up the supply of two Nationwide Superior Floor-to-Air Missile Methods to Ukraine.

"We expect that we're on monitor to get these first two over there within the very close to future," Kirby mentioned. "We're actually concerned with expediting the supply of NASAMS to Ukraine as quickly as we will."

The president did not rule out assembly with Putin at subsequent month's G-20 Summit, and whereas he mentioned he did not intend to satisfy with him, he acknowledged he may, relying on the subject. Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned on Tuesday that Putin was open to such a gathering.