Biden on Putin: first time to face ‘prospect of Armageddon’ since ‘Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis’

Speaking at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee fundraiser Thursday evening, President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin “a guy I know fairly well.” He also warned that this “guy” is “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons” as a solution to his military’s underperformance.

Specifically, Biden warned a potential nuclear “Armageddon” is not impossible: “we have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

“I don’t think there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon,” said Biden. Biden rhetorically asked, “Where does he find himself in a position that he does not not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?”

Just last month, Putin declared, “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 at our disposal.” He then promised it was “not a bluff.”

National Review writes, “It has been widely speculated that Russia could employ tactical nuclear weapons in an effort to turn the tide in its war of aggression against Ukraine. Russian forces have been pushed back toward their own border in recent days, causing observers to wonder whether Russian president Vladimir Putin may, in desperation, turn to weapons of mass destruction.”