NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden says the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a fundraiser Thursday for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”
Biden added, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
For months, U.S. officials have warned that Russia, having faced recent setbacks during its war with Ukraine, could use weapons of mass destruction.
However, as recent as this week, U.S. officials haven't seen any movement in Russia's nuclear forces that would warrant the U.S. to raise the alarm bells of its nuclear forces.
While speaking to Democratic donors, Biden warned things could quickly spiral out of control if Russia decides to use a lower-yield tactical weapon.
“I don’t there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon,” Biden said.
