WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� President Joe Biden鈥檚 warning that the world is was designed to send an unvarnished message that no one should underestimate the extraordinary danger if Russia deploys tactical nuclear weapons in , administration officials said Friday.
The president鈥檚 grim assessment, delivered during a Democratic fundraiser on Thursday night, rippled around the globe and appeared to edge beyond the boundaries of current U.S. intelligence assessments. U.S. security officials continue to say they have for a nuclear strike.
Biden veered into talk about Ukraine at the end of his standard fundraising remarks, saying that Putin was 鈥渘ot joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.鈥�
鈥淲e have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis,鈥� he added. He suggested the threat from Putin is real 鈥渂ecause his military is 鈥� you might say 鈥� significantly underperforming.鈥�
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Friday did not directly respond to a question about whether Biden had gone into the event intending to invoke Armageddon, as the White House sought to clarify the president's off-the-cuff comments.
She told reporters: 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and there鈥檚 no way to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen.鈥� She added that "if the Cuban missile crisis has taught us anything, it is the value of reducing nuclear risk and not brandishing it.鈥�
Biden鈥檚 national security team for months has warned that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as it has faced a series of . But the president's remarks were the starkest warnings yet by the U.S. government about the nuclear stakes.
One U.S. official said Biden was also trying to warn against underestimating the danger any level of tactical nuclear weapons.
There鈥檚 some concern in the administration that Russia has determined it can use its nuclear arsenal in a manner short of a 鈥渇ull-blown鈥� nuclear attack on Ukraine and face only limited reaction from U.S. and Western allies who are determined to keep the Ukraine conflict from turning into a broader war, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss administration thinking
Putin has repeatedly alluded to using his country鈥檚 vast nuclear arsenal, including last month when he announced plans to conscript Russian men to serve in Ukraine.
鈥淚 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,鈥� Putin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a bluff.鈥�
In Europe, leaders sought to turn down the volume after Biden鈥檚 stark warning.
Asked about Biden鈥檚 remarks, French President Emmanuel Macron said it was crucial to speak with care on the nuclear threat.
鈥淚 have always refused to engage in political fiction, and especially ... when speaking of nuclear weapons,鈥� Macron said at a EU summit in Prague. 鈥淥n this issue, we must be very careful.鈥�
European Council President Charles Michel told reporters that leaders take 鈥渆very escalation very seriously,鈥�
鈥淭hreats will not intimidate us,鈥� Michel said. 鈥淚nstead, we are going to remain calm. We are going to keep cool heads and we will, each time, denounce the irresponsible character of these threats.鈥�
Jean-Pierre reiterated on Friday the U.S. has 鈥渘ot seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor do we have indications that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons.鈥�
It鈥檚 not the first time that Biden鈥檚 comments have appeared to .
Last month, Biden, in a CBS 鈥�60 Minutes鈥� interview, said that 鈥淯.S. forces, U.S. men and women, 鈥�
The White House said after the interview that U.S. policy toward Taiwan hasn鈥檛 changed. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan鈥檚 status resolved peacefully but doesn鈥檛 say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.
In March, as he wrapped up a speech in Warsaw, Biden seemed to call for the ouster of Putin, saying, 鈥淔or God鈥檚 sake, this man cannot remain in power.鈥� Before Biden could even board Air Force One to begin the flight back to Washington, aides were scrambling to clarify that he wasn鈥檛 calling for an immediate change in government in Moscow.
Earlier that month, Biden called Putin a 鈥渨ar criminal鈥� for the Russian onslaught in Ukraine before the White House walked back the comments. The White House had been avoiding applying the 鈥渨ar criminal鈥� label to Putin, because it requires investigation and an international determination.
After Biden used the term, his then-press secretary, Jen Psaki, said the president was 鈥渟peaking from his heart鈥� and clarified that the administration acknowledged there is a process for making a formal determination.
As for Biden's latest eyebrow-raising remarks, 鈥淧eople sort of say, 鈥極h, yeah, it鈥檚 Biden. You know, he says this stuff,鈥欌�� said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists, and a veteran of nuclear policy research.
鈥淏ut overseas countries are saying, 鈥榃hoa, this is what the U.S. president says,鈥濃�� Kristensen said. 鈥淎nd so that means we have to be really careful about using big words鈥� that in themselves can escalate nuclear tensions unintentionally.
Biden鈥檚 strong choice of words could have an have an unintended impact with Russia, Kristensen said, the biggest problem with the president鈥檚 latest comments.
鈥淚t鈥檚 quite clear to me that Putin will be looking at this and say to himself 鈥橶ow, you know, I got their attention now. So they鈥檙e really afraid.'鈥�
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Associated Press writers Sylvie Corbet in Prague, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Zeke Miller in Washington contributed reporting. Boak reported from Hagerstown, Maryland.
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Follow AP鈥檚 coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Aamer Madhani, Ellen Knickmeyer And Josh Boak, The Associated Press
