Live: Biden warns of the the risk of nuclear ‘Armageddon’

Issued on:

President Joe Biden said Thursday that the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, as Russian officials speak of the possibility of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering massive setbacks in the eight-month invasion of Ukraine. Follow FRANCE 24’s liveblog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2). 

2:30am: Biden warns risk of nuclear ‘Armageddon’ at highest level since 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

Speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.”

Biden added, “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”

Biden also challenged Russian nuclear doctrine, warning that the use of a lower-yield tactical weapon could quickly spiral out of control into global destruction.

“I don’t there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical weapon and not end up with Armageddon,” Biden said.

US officials for months have warned of the prospect that Russia could use weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine as it has faced a series of strategic setbacks on the battlefield. as recently as this week, though, they have said they have seen no change to Russia’s nuclear forces that would require a change in the alert posture of US nuclear forces.

10:05pm: Ukraine has retaken more than 500 sq km of land since October 1: Zelensky

Ukrainian forces have recaptured more than 500 sq km (195 square miles) of territory and dozens of settlements in the southern Kherson region alone since October 1, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.

In a video address, he also said there had been more military successes in the east.

Earlier Thursday’s Ukraine’s southern army command spokeswoman Natalia Gumeniuk said the recaptured territory in the southern Kherson region was home to nearly 30 towns and villages that had been occupied by Russian forces for months.

7:51pm: Macron urges Erdogan to fight Russia-sanctions dodging

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to push back against attempts to dodge sanctions imposed on Russia over its war in Ukraine.

Macron “underlined the importance of the European sanctions regimes in stopping Russia’s escalation, and called to fight any circumvention strategies”, the French presidency said after talks on the sidelines of the inaugural European Political Community summit in Prague.

There have been concerns in Europe and the US that Turkey – which has not imposed sanctions on Moscow – is being used as a haven for those looking to avoid the Western measures. 

Turkish trade with Russia has exploded during the war in Ukraine to the growing irritation of the US amid worries that Russian oligarchs and big businesses are using Turkish entities to evade sanctions.

7:35pm: Russia summons French ambassador over Ukraine arms supply: ministry

The Russian foreign ministry said it had summoned France’s ambassador to Moscow, Pierre Levy, over the military support offered to Ukraine by his country and Kyiv’s other Western allies.

“The Russian side pointed to the threats posed by the increased supply of weapons and equipment to the Kyiv regime, and by the scaling-up of training programmes for the Ukrainian military,” by France and other Western countries, a foreign ministry statement said.

6:31pm: Rubble of destroyed Zaporizhzhia city apartment block ‘still smoldering’

Reporting from Zaporizhzhia city, where a Russian missile demolished an apartment block shortly after 5am local time, FRANCE 24’s Gulliver Cragg says rescue workers were still working on the site. “The rubble is still smoldering and the rescue workers are still trying to get into this rubble to see if they can pull anyone else out,” said Cragg.


 

 

© France Médias Monde graphic studio

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)

For all the latest health News Click Here 

Read original article here

Denial of responsibility! TechAI is an automatic aggregator around the global media. All the content are available free on Internet. We have just arranged it in one platform for educational purpose only. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, all materials to their authors. If you are the owner of the content and do not want us to publish your materials on our website, please contact us by email – [email protected]. The content will be deleted within 24 hours.