On Thursday (October 6), President Joe Biden warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not joking” when he eluded to the country would use nuclear weapons, comparing the veiled threat to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Biden brought up Putin’s remarks at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser in New York, stating, “We have not faced the prospect of armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
Then, referencing Putin, Biden said, “We’ve got a guy I know fairly well… He’s not joking when he talks about [the] potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming.”
The President went on to express his doubts that Putin — and Russia — could use a smaller, tactical nuclear weapon that didn’t lead to “armageddon” and allowed Putin to save face.
“I’m trying to figure it out,” Biden said, “What is Putin’s off-ramp? … Where does he find a way out?”
He continued his rhetorical questioning, querying: “Where does he find himself in a position that he does not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?”
Last month, as Russia sought to escalate its attack against Ukraine after extensive losses, Putin — while announcing the mobilization of more troops — said: “I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and some components are more modern than those of the NATO countries.”
The Russian President accused the U.S. and its allies of “nuclear blackmail,” explaining they sought to “destroy” Russia.
