The President of the United States, Joe Biden, has urged President of Russia, Vladimir Putin not to use tactical nuclear or any chemical weapons in the wake of setbacks in Ukraine.
The military in Ukraine drove back Russian troops in a lighting rout in the northeastern region of the nation this week, putting Putin under stress from the nationalists at home to regain the initiative.
Moreover, Putin has alerted that Moscow would respond more forcefully if its military were put under any more pressure, raising concerns that he could at some point use unconventional means like small nuclear or chemical weapons.
According to media reports, Biden said that, “He would tell Putin if he was considering using such weapons, Don’t. Don’t. Don’t. It would alter the face of war unlike anything since World War II.”
Biden said the US response would be “consequential”, but refused to give detail. Russia “would become more of a pariah than they ever have been,” Biden said. “Depending on the limit of what they do will determine what response would occur.”
Meanwhile, Russian government officials have dismissed suggestions made by the West that Moscow would use tactical nuclear arms in Ukraine, but it remains a worry for some in the West.
During a speech announcing the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Putin gave a veiled but unmistakable warning that if the West intervened in what he has called a “special military operation” he could use nuclear weapons in response.
As per the statement, Putin said that, “No matter who tries to stand in our way or create threats for our nation & our people, they must accept that Russia will respond immediately, & the results will be such as you have never witnessed in your entire history.”
Other choices for Putin could involve mobilizing Russia’s reserves, which number around 2 million men, and pressuring Europe to strong-arm Ukraine into a truce with Russia, by freezing the region this winter by banning all energy exports.