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Biden warns Putin against using chemical or tactical nuclear weapons
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"Don't. Don't. Don't," Biden said, in an excerpt from an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" aired Friday evening (Sep 16).
US President Joe Biden has warned Russia of harsh consequences should it use chemical or tactical nuclear weapons in the wake of serious losses in his war in Ukraine.
"Don't. Don't. Don't," Biden said, in an excerpt from an interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" aired Friday evening (Sep 16).
Biden was asked what would he say if he learned that Moscow is considering the use of weapons of mass destruction to counter what Kiev calls a successful counter-offensive in the east.
"You would change the face of war unlike anything since World War II," Biden said.
"They will become more of a pariah in the world, more than they have ever been," the US leader added.
The president, however, declined to outline what the US’ response would be. “You think I would tell you if I knew exactly what it would be? Of course I’m not gonna tell you. It’ll be consequential.”
In mid-August, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu dismissed claims that Moscow might use nukes in Ukraine as “absurd,” saying there are no targets in Ukraine that would warrant doing so.
Russia's war on Ukraine at critical stage amid counterattack
Russia’s current nuclear posture allows their use only when “the very existence of the state is threatened.”
Ukraine has recaptured swaths of territory in the east from occupying Russian forces in recent weeks, boosted by heavy weapons supplied by Western allies.
