Threat of Armageddon raises the stakes with Putin

It also serves as a commentary on the extreme ambiguity surrounding how Russian President Vladimir Putin, a self-described “strongman,” would react to the mounting possibility that his nation would lose the fight in Ukraine, on which he has bet his political future.

Biden may draw ire from his competitors for using coarse language to address the risk of nuclear war given that he made the remarks at a political event in New York. However, they also provide some comfort since they demonstrate that the president is well aware of the risks of escalation with the volatile Kremlin leader.

Whether or not Obama meant for his comments to be heard by the public, they will have the effect of telling Putin that using nuclear weapons, even a small battlefield bomb, may set off a chain of events that might result in a catastrophe for the entire world. In other words, Biden could be reinforcing a level of deterrence given that Putin said he was not lying about his threat to possibly use a nuclear bomb..

But Biden’s remarks also demonstrate that, at least in one respect, Putin’s nuclear threats have succeeded in making his enemies unclear of how he would act.

The globe had reached a perilous point, Biden told Democratic fundraisers.

If things go as they are, we face a direct threat of using a nuclear bomb for the first time since the Cuban missile crisis, according to Biden.

Putin is a someone I know very well, Biden said.

His military is, you could say, significantly underperforming, so when he mentions the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons, he is not joking.

In a last-ditch effort to change the outcome of the war, US officials are worried that Putin may contemplate using a smaller tactical nuclear bomb in Ukraine. Although there is speculation NATO would get involved and directly strike Russian soldiers, a situation that might cause a serious escalation with Moscow, The Kremlin allegedly received a warning from the White House that such a decision would be “catastrophic” for Russia.

However, US officials have also stated that they have not seen any indications that Russia is preparing any of its tactical nuclear weapons, which may be small enough to target army formations or huge enough to entirely destroy cities Biden was speaking “frankly” in response to Putin’s “irresponsible and reckless” language, a US official said to CNN’s Jeremy Diamond on Friday, but his remarks were not supported by any fresh knowledge of Russia’s nuclear posture. According to the official, the US’s nuclear posture hasn’t altered either.

Burden of Biden

His statements on Thursday, spoken during the protracted stalemate between the US and the Soviet Union, emphasise the weight that Biden now holds as the first president since the end of the Cold War more than 30 years ago who must confront the horrific threat of nuclear war with Moscow.

Armageddon may have been accidently sparked at least once. But only during the tense 13-day standoff in October 1962 over Russian intentions to put nuclear missiles in Cuba did Washington and Moscow come perilously close to intentionally using nuclear weapons.. After prolonged communication between Washington and Moscow, Nikita Khrushchev, the leader of Russia, eventually changed his position.