Joe Biden Warns Vladimir Putin Over Potential Use of Nuclear Weapons in Russia-Ukraine War

Following a string of military setbacks in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has pleaded with Russian President Vladimir Putin not to employ tactical nuclear or chemical weapons.

When asked what he would tell Putin if he thought about using such weapons by an American reporter for the CBS program 60 Minutes, President Joe Biden said, "Don't. Don't. Don't. The face of battle would change unlike anything since World War II."

Biden Urges Putin Not to Use Tactical Nuclear Weapons

Last week, the military of Ukraine routtened Russian forces in the country's northeast, placing Vladimir Putin under pressure from nationalists at home to retake the initiative. Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow will act more firmly if its soldiers are put under further strain, which has led to worries that he may eventually turn to unconventional measures such tiny nuclear or chemical weapons.

The US response, according to President Joe Biden, will be consequential, but he would not elaborate, Aljazeera reported. Vladimir Putin mentioned Russia's nuclear weapons in a speech on February 24 and warned other countries against interfering because doing so would result in "consequences that you have never faced in your history."

But in early August, the Russian president claimed there could be no winners in a nuclear war and that such a war should never be started, contradicting his prior remark. In a letter to conference attendees about the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, Putin stated: "We proceed from the idea that there can be no winners in a nuclear war and it should never be unleashed. We stand for equal and indivisible security for all members of the world community" (NPT).

Putin also has the option of mobilizing Russia's nearly 2 million-strong army reserves and applying pressure on Europe to force Ukraine into a ceasefire by freezing the area in winter by banning all energy exports, as per Express.

Putin Reiterates Russia's Ambition

Many nations view nuclear weapons, which have been around for almost 80 years, as a deterrent that keeps their national security guaranteed. The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia may possess 5,977 nuclear weapons.

However, it is still improbable that it will utilize such weapons. Strategic nuclear weapons, on the other hand, can be launched across considerably greater distances and raise the possibility of an all-out nuclear war. Tactical nuclear weapons, on the other hand, can be utilized at relatively close ranges.

The Federation of American Scientists estimates that Russia has 5,977 nuclear weapons, NATO has 5,977 (US: 5, 428, France: 290, UK: 225), China has 350, Pakistan has 165, India has 160, Israel has 90, North Korea has 90, and China has 350.

In the area to the northeast of Kharkiv, Ukraine asserts that it has recently reclaimed more than 8,000 square kilometers (3,088 square miles) of territory.Despite the seeming setback, Putin has emphasized that Russia's ambitions to continue its activities in the country's east will not be thwarted by Ukraine's effective counteroffensive, according to BBC.