US President Biden on Tuesday warned Russia against using a tactical nuclear weapon amid concerns Moscow may be creating a pretext to escalate the war in Ukraine, The Hill reported.
“Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use a tactical nuclear weapon,” Biden told reporters after getting his COVID-19 booster shot. “I’m not guaranteeing you that it’s a false flag operation yet. I don’t know. But it would be a serious, serious mistake.”
Russia over the weekend claimed Ukraine was preparing to use a “dirty bomb,” which typically refers to an explosive that would be used to spread radioactive material.
Ukraine has denied any attempt to use such a weapon, and officials from Ukraine, the US and other allied countries have warned that Russia could be laying the groundwork to take some type of escalatory action of its own.
