Biden had previously spoken of a nuclear “Armageddon” in a Russian nuclear weapons deployment. “We have seen no reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear stance,” Biden spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Air Force One on Friday.
“We also have no evidence that Russia is immediately preparing to use nuclear weapons.” When asked whether Biden’s “Armageddon” statement was based on new US intelligence information, Jean-Pierre replied “no”.
Biden said on Thursday that the risk of a nuclear catastrophe was as high as it had been since the days of President John F. Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. He used the term “Armageddon”, a biblical term for the last decisive battle at the end of the world .
Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin “doesn’t joke” when he threatens to use tactical nuclear, biological or chemical weapons “because his army is, you might say, pretty under-performing.”
Since the start of the Ukraine war, Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. According to experts, these would most likely be attacks with tactical nuclear weapons. Their explosive power is less than that of strategic nuclear weapons. However, Biden warned that a tactical nuclear attack still carries the risk of a wildfire.
Source: Nachrichten
