Biden Warns Kremlin of Repercussions if Nuclear Weapons are Used in Ukraine

In a preview for a televised interview with “60 Minutes” set to air Sunday night, President Joe Biden issued a warning to Moscow regarding the potential use of nuclear weapons in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. “It’ll be consequential,” Biden said. “They’ll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. And depending on the extent of what they do will determine what response would occur.”

The warning comes on the heels of a stunning counter-offensive by Ukrainian forces, which has erased nearly all the gains made by the Russian military in the northeastern region of Ukraine. The continued faltering of Moscow’s efforts in a war expected to be a rout at its start has revived worries of possible escalation, with the zenith of all fears being the deployment of nuclear weapons. Western nations aligned with Ukraine have acted with trepidation throughout the conflict, towing the line between supporting the Kyiv government while not provoking Russia into further action in a conflict that Moscow sees as an existential battle for the future of the unified Russian state. This past week, the U.S. announced an additional $600 million of military equipment to be sent to Ukrainian forces, raising the cumulative aid from the U.S. over the course of the war to $15.1 billion.

The preview of Sunday night’s interview made headlines mostly on the left in an issue that remains bipartisan among the majority of U.S. lawmakers.