Biden accuses Russia of making “reckless” nuclear threats during UN meeting.
On Wednesday, US President Joe Biden accused Russia of making “reckless” and “irresponsible” threats to use nuclear weapons, and claimed Moscow had violated the core tenets of UN membership by invading Ukraine.
At the United Nations General Assembly in New York, President Joe Biden criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin for starting an unjustified war that over 40 U.N. members were providing financial and military support to Ukraine to resist.
In what NATO dubbed a “reckless” gesture of desperation in the face of an impending Russian defeat, Putin had earlier on Wednesday ordered a Russian mobilization to fight in Ukraine and issued a barely disguised threat to use nuclear weapons.
That opinion was echoed by Biden.
“Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe, in a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the nonproliferation regime,” Biden said.
“A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” he said.
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Despite Russia’s claims to the contrary, Biden stated that no one had threatened Russia and that only Russia had desired conflict, and he used the United Nations setting to emphasize his belief that Moscow had breached the body’s values.
“A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter,” Biden said.
“This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Wherever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe, that should … make your blood run cold.”
When asked about Biden’s remarks, the Russian mission to the UN did not respond right away. While Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was in New York for the U.N. gathering, a deputy Russian U.N. ambassador was in the chamber for Biden’s speech.
For diplomatic influence, Russia faces competition from the United States and its allies in the West. The United States has admitted that some nations are worried that the conflict in Ukraine has diverted attention from other crises.
