Several US officials told CNN that President Joe Biden’s chilling warning on Thursday night that there was a greater chance of nuclear war than in the previous 60 years was not supported by any fresh information regarding the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin or modifications to Russia’s nuclear posture. The United States continues to see no indication that Putin is planning to deploy a Russian nuclear bomb, and there is no evidence to suggest that he has already made up his mind to do so.
However, Biden’s remarks, which were more directly expressed than those of other US officials up until this point, revealed rising worries within his administration about the possibility of a Russian nuclear strike in Ukraine, where Russian forces have recently suffered a succession of setbacks.
Senior American officials were taken aback by Biden’s apparent judgement, which was in large part caused by the gloomy tone he employed and the lack of any fresh information to back up his claims.
As a result of Putin’s recent nuclear threats, a senior administration source claimed that Biden was speaking “frankly” in his remarks at a Democratic fundraiser in New York.
In the eyes of administration national security officials, the threat has long been significant, and Russian battlefield setbacks have further heightened the stakes for ongoing debates and emergency preparedness on the subject.
But Biden wasn’t privy to any moment, briefing, or fresh intelligence that would have indicated a real change in the Russian attitude.
After Biden’s remarks, administration officials said that nothing had changed regarding the country’s nuclear posture.
One of the people in charge of US preparations said, “Our attitude has not changed; if there is a fresh piece of evidence of concern, it will surely change that.
Simply put, there haven’t been many instances in the last 60 years of a president issuing an open warning about an impending nuclear catastrophe, if any.
Biden’s tone was strikingly different from that of senior national security experts, and the president abruptly abandoned a plan to softly warn of nuclear war while refraining from raising the rhetoric.
Biden’s remarks, however, represent a reality that is challenging to understand because of the confluence of the distant conflict, the post-Cold War age, and the removal of nuclear threats from common hazards, one official noted.
However, despite the lack of hard proof that Putin has made actual moves in this direction, these risks have substantially increased over the past eight months.
Putin has recently stepped up his rhetoric after US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned of “catastrophic repercussions” if Moscow decided to deploy nuclear weapons late last month in response to Putin’s nuclear threats. The comments made by Biden provide a glimpse into a very serious and ongoing discussion going on in his administration about how best to respond to that situation.
According to officials, Biden’s casual remarks at the fundraiser usually only provide a brief glimpse into the issues or conversations he is currently facing.
Fundraising campaigns are typically held with only a few dozen donors, and for Biden, fundraisers are more intimate events because he frequently speaks through handwritten notes but only loosely adheres to the script he wrote for himself as at his public events. During fundraisers, Biden speaks into a portable microphone and typically moves around the room while he speaks.
The agreement, which started under Obama’s presidency, states that journalists are permitted to hear the president speak and report on them, but they are not permitted to record them.
It was significant that Biden brought up the Cuban missile crisis because it was the last time an American president openly warned of the perils of an oncoming disaster and since its 60th anniversary is coming up soon.
But as with his speech right before the invasion, White House officials attentively observed and searched for hints in Putin’s speech last week, and it aroused fears.
One person noted that while the public may have ignored Putin’s most recent statements in months that appear distant from apparent reality, Biden “doesn’t have that luxury,” adding that this has been a topic of many internal debates in recent days.
The US image of Russia’s vulnerability and isolation was confirmed by one official’s description of the Russian rhetoric as “crazy,” but it also raised concerns about Putin’s willingness to go beyond the bounds of reasonable discourse.
US officials were taken aback by Biden’s nuclear remarks, according to a report.
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