During a fundraiser in New York Thursday night, Biden gave a sober and stark warning about the dangers of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats about using nuclear weapons as his country’s military experiences set backs in Ukraine, according to notes from the print pool.
“First time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have a direct threat of the use nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going,” Biden warned during the fundraiser, according to the pool.
He added: “I’m trying to figure out what is Putin’s off ramp?… Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself in a position that he does not not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia?”
“We’ve got a guy I know fairly well,” Biden said of Putin, according to the pool. “He’s not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his military is you might say significantly underperforming.”
