[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] U.S. President Joe Biden warned of the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, using the term "Armageddon," but the White House stated that no related signs have been detected. This is interpreted as a kind of damage control remark, aware of the heightened tension caused by President Biden's statement.
According to the White House, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre drew a line when asked during a briefing on a plane en route to Maryland on the 7th (local time) whether there was any new information to be more concerned about regarding President Biden's Armageddon remark, saying "No."
Press Secretary Jean-Pierre explained, "President Biden has mentioned concerns about Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons over the past few weeks," adding, "What the President said this time is that." She said, "We have not seen any signs that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons or any reason to adjust our nuclear strategic posture." She also added "No" when asked if the threat of nuclear weapon use was imminent.
President Biden's earlier remarks merely reiterated the assessment inside and outside U.S. authorities that the Russian military, which is being pushed back on the Ukrainian front, is highly likely to use tactical nuclear weapons, and there is no change in nuclear readiness posture.
The day before, President Biden attended a Democratic Senate Campaign Committee reception held in New York and referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "He (Putin) is mentioning the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons and biochemical weapons, and this is no joke," adding, "Since the Cuban Missile Crisis, we have never faced such an Armageddon possibility."
Accordingly, there was a series of analyses questioning whether there has been a change in the U.S. intelligence assessment of Russia. Political media outlet The Hill reported that this is the first time a senior U.S. official has used such a term and directly publicly suggested the possibility of nuclear war.
Locally, there are reports that even within the U.S. government, officials were surprised by President Biden's expression. One official said, "If there had been information to raise awareness, we would definitely have changed our nuclear strategic posture, but there is no change in nuclear readiness."
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