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President Joe Biden expressed concerns on Monday about the genuine threat posed
by Russian President Vladimir Putin's potential use of tactical nuclear weapons,
particularly following Russia's deployment of such weapons in Belarus.
Biden referred to his previous experiences, where his worries about the
Colorado River drying up were initially met with skepticism. Likewise, his
concerns about Putin's use of tactical nuclear weapons were met with doubt, but
he emphasized that the threat is indeed real.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced last week that his
country had begun receiving Russian tactical nuclear weapons, some of which were
reportedly more powerful than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki.
This deployment signifies Russia's first instance of moving such warheads
outside its borders since the fall of the Soviet Union. The United States
remains firm in its stance on strategic nuclear weapons and does not plan to
modify its position in response to this deployment,
as it has not observed any indications of Russia preparing to employ a nuclear
weapon.
While Russia disregarded Biden's criticism in May, citing the long-standing
presence of US nuclear weapons in Europe, the Russian deployment is being
closely monitored by the US, its allies, and China, which has consistently
cautioned against the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukrainian conflict. |
