Would be serious mistake, says Biden on Putin's threat to use nuke against Ukraine

US President Joe Biden has warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, saying it would be an “incredibly serious mistake”.

The Biden administration had earlier said Russia had given notice that it intended to stage routine drills of its nuclear capabilities while Ukraine's nuclear energy operator claimed its neighbour was performing some secret work at Europe's largest nuclear power plant.

“Let me just say: Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it uses a tactical nuclear weapon,” Biden told reporters at the White House on Tuesday.

He was responding to a question on whether Russia was preparing to deploy a “dirty bomb” or a nuclear weapon.

“I'm not guaranteeing you that it's a false-flag operation yet; I don't know. But it would be a serious, serious mistake,” Biden stressed.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the President was clear about what he said. “He said it again today. It would be a major mistake for Russia to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, leading to severe consequences. As for the potential use of a dirty bomb, look, Russia is pushing transparently false allegations,” she claimed.

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