White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Friday the U.S. had no new intel on Russian nuclear weapons, despite a stark warning from President Joe Biden’s that the world is on the verge of “armageddon.”
The president compared the current state of tensions with Russia to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, warning in a Thursday address that Russian President Vladimir Putin is seriously considering deploying nuclear weapons. Jean-Pierre said the president solely spoke of concerns about Putin’s threats and there is no “imminent threat.”
“We have not seen any reason to adjust our own strategic nuclear posture nor do we have any indication that Russia is preparing to imminently use nuclear weapons,” the press secretary told reporters on Air Force One en route to Hagerstown, Maryland.
She added that Putin’s threat of using nuclear weapons is “irresponsible” and that the U.S. takes Putin’s threat very seriously. She then assured that the president made the comments in order to say that the Russian president’s rhetoric is irresponsible.
“Russia’s talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and there’s no way to use them without unintended consequences, it cannot happen,” she said. “We won’t be intimidated by Putin’s rhetoric, we have not seen any reason to adjust our nuclear posture nor do we have indications that they are preparing to use them. But Putin can deescalate this at any time and there’s no reason to escalate.”
She then pointed out that Russia is the only nation responsible for the war in Ukraine and that Putin has the power to stop the conflict. (RELATED: Biden Declares Putin ‘Cannot Remain In Power,’ White House Quickly Walks It Back)
The president made the remarks at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee where he said that the potential use of nuclear weapons by Russia will not “end up with Armageddon.”
“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,” the president said.
Russian officials associated with Putin, along with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, have urged him to launch nuclear weapons on Ukraine. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov called for Russia to use “low-yield nuclear weapons” after Russians defeated Ukrainians in the city of Lyman.