New York — President Joe Biden said Thursday that the dangers of nuclear “Armageddon” have reached the highest level since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, as Russian officials talk about the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine.
Speaking at a Democratic Senate campaign committee fundraiser, Biden said that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “a man I know fairly well” and that the Russian leader “wasn’t joking when he talked about using tactical nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.”
“We haven’t faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis,” Biden added. He noted that the threat from Putin is real, “because his army – one might say – is so underperforming.”
US officials have warned for months about Russia’s possible use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as it has faced a series of strategic setbacks on the battlefield, though Biden’s comments represent the sharpest warning the US government has issued yet about nuclear dangers.
It was not immediately clear whether Biden was referring to any new assessment of Russian intentions. More recently, this week, though, US officials said they did not see any change in Russia’s nuclear forces that would require a change in the alert status of US nuclear forces.
“We have seen no reason to adjust our strategic nuclear posture, and we have no indication that Russia is preparing to use imminent nuclear weapons,” White House Press Secretary Karen-Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
Experts consider the 13-day standoff in 1962, which followed the United States’ discovery of the Soviet Union’s secret deployment of nuclear weapons in Cuba, as the world’s closest to nuclear annihilation. The crisis during the administration of President John F. Kennedy sparked a renewed focus on arms control on both sides of the Iron Curtain.
Biden also challenged Russia’s nuclear doctrine, warning that the use of a low-yield tactical weapon could quickly spiral out of control and turn into global devastation.
“I don’t think there’s such a thing as being able to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not ending up with Armageddon,” Biden said.
He added that he was still “trying” to discover Putin’s “slope” in Ukraine.
Where does he find a way out? Biden asked. “Where does he find himself in a situation that not only loses face, but loses great power within Russia?”
Putin has repeatedly hinted at using his country’s vast nuclear arsenal, including last month when he announced plans to recruit Russian men for service in Ukraine.
“I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction … And when the territorial integrity of our country is threatened, to protect Russia and our people, we will certainly use all the means available to us,” Putin said. On September 21, he added with a long look at the camera, “It’s not a hoax.”
White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said last week that the United States had been “clear” to Russia about the “consequences” of using a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
“This is something that we agree with, that we take very seriously, and we are communicating directly with Russia about, including the kind of decisive responses the United States would have if they had gone down this dark path,” Sullivan said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier Thursday that Putin understood that “the world will not forgive” a Russian nuclear strike.
“He understands that after the use of nuclear weapons he will not be able to save his life, so to speak, and I am sure of that,” Zelensky said.
Biden’s comments came during a special fundraiser for Democratic Senate candidates at the Manhattan home of James and Catherine Murdoch. He tends to be more cautious—often speaking only in rough notes—in such places, which are open only to a few reporters who have no cameras or recording equipment.
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