Biden believes Putin won’t dare nuke Ukraine

U.S. President Joe Biden does not believe his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin will follow through on his nuclear threats and ultimately use nuclear weapons against Ukraine.

That’s according to Biden’s interview with CNN, Ukrinform reports.

 “I don’t think he will,” Biden said when asked whether the Russian leader would use a tactical nuclear weapon – a prospect U.S. officials have watched with concern as Russian troops suffer embarrassing losses on the battlefield.

“I think it’s irresponsible for him to talk about it, the idea that a world leader of one of the largest nuclear powers in the world says he may use a tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine,” Biden added.

The comment comes after Biden warned last week the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” was at its highest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis.

“The whole point I was making was it could lead to just a horrible outcome,” the U.S. leader told CNN. “And not because anybody intends to turn it into a world war or anything, but just once you use a nuclear weapon, the mistakes that can be made, the miscalculations, who knows what would happen.”

“He, in fact, cannot continue with impunity to talk about the use of a tactical nuclear weapon as if that’s a rational thing to do,” Biden added later. “The mistakes get made. And the miscalculation could occur, no one can be sure what would happen and could end in Armageddon.”

Biden refused to disclose what a U.S. response would look like should Putin goes nuclear, while adding that the Pentagon had proactively developed contingencies should the scenario come to pass.