Don't use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Joe Biden cautions Vladimir Putin
Don't use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Joe Biden cautions Vladimir Putin
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In a CBS News interview to air on Sunday, US President Joe Biden urged Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use tactical nuclear or chemical weapons in response to Ukraine’s setbacks.

Ukraine’s military routed Russian forces in a lightning rout in the country’s northeast this week, putting Putin under pressure from nationalists at home to retake the initiative.

Putin has warned that if its troops are put under further strain, Moscow will respond more forcefully, raising fears that he will resort to unconventional means such as small nuclear or chemical weapons at some point.

When asked what he would advise Putin to do if he thought about using such weapons, Biden replied, “Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. Since World Conflict II, nothing has altered the nature of war like it would. On Saturday, CBS published a snippet of the conversation.

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Officials from the Russian government have denied Western claims that Moscow would employ tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, but the idea still causes considerable concern in the West.

Putin warned on February 24 in a speech announcing the invasion of Ukraine that if the West joined what he has called a “special military operation,” he may respond with nuclear weapons.

According to reports, he said, “Whoever tries to stand in our way or create threats for our nation and our people, they must know that Russia will answer quickly, and the consequences will be such as you have never seen in your whole history.”

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Other options for Putin may include calling up the country’s reserves, which total roughly 2 million troops, and exerting pressure on Europe to coerce Ukraine into a ceasefire by preventing all energy shipments to the region this winter.