Given the latest developments in the war in Ukraine, US President Joe Biden sees the danger of a nuclear confrontation with catastrophic consequences as great as it has not been in 60 years. The world has not faced the prospect of “Armageddon” since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, Biden said during a performance in New York on Thursday. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for a NATO preemptive strike on Russia to “eliminate the possibility of using nuclear weapons”. The Kremlin strongly criticized Zelenskyy’s statements, accusing him of “calling for the start of World War III”.
NATO “must rule out the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons. But it’s important – and that’s why I’m turning to the international community, as I did before February 24 – that these are preventive strikes, so they know what to expect if they use them.” He stressed: “Not the other way around: wait on strikes from Russia, and then say, ‘Oh, you’ll get me in a minute, you’ll get it from us now'”.
Kremlin: Zelenskyj calls for World War III
The Kremlin strongly condemned the Ukrainian president’s statements about possible preemptive attacks on Russia. “Zelensky’s statements are nothing more than a call to start World War III with unforeseen terrible consequences,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. The Russian Foreign Ministry also strongly criticized Zelenskyj’s statements.
According to Peskov, the United States and Britain are leading Kiev’s actions. They are therefore also responsible for Zelenskyj’s statements, the Kremlin spokesman said. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the West started a nuclear war. “Everyone on the planet should realize that the weapon-filled and unstable doll Zelenskyy has turned into a monster with hands that can destroy the entire planet,” she said.
A spokesperson for Zelenskyj stressed that Zelenskyj’s demand had been misunderstood. The Ukrainian president only said that before February 24 – the beginning of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – preventive measures were needed to prevent the war.
Putin: “Defend new Russian territories by all means”
Russia recently annexed four occupied Ukrainian territories in violation of international law. In his speech on the occasion of the annexation declaration, Russian President Vladimir Putin emphasized that the “new Russian territories” would be defended with all available means. The US has been warning Russian leaders in direct contacts for some time that the use of tactical nuclear weapons would have serious consequences. At the same time, the White House declined to comment publicly on what these consequences might look like. The US government also said it had not seen any concrete steps from Russia to use nuclear weapons.
On Thursday, Biden confirmed that he knew Putin quite well. He doesn’t joke when he talks about the possible use of tactical nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. At the same time, he does not believe it would be possible to use tactical nuclear weapons without leading to “Armageddon,” the US president stressed.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
