'It would be an incredibly serious mistake': Biden warns Russia against use of nuclear weapon in Ukraine

Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it uses a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday. He said he can't say as yet whether Moscow was indulging in a false flag operation when it claims that Ukraine was preparing to drop a 'dirty bomb' in its own territory. Biden, however, said, "It would be a serious, serious mistake".  

Earlier this week, Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu, in a call with his western counterparts, claimed that Kyiv was preparing for another provocation by use of a 'dirty bomb'. His claim was, however, rejected by the UK and the US.  

The UK Defence Ministry said Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was planning actions facilitated by Western countries, including Britain, to escalate the conflict in Ukraine. The Defence Secretary refuted these claims and cautioned that such allegations should not be used as a pretext for greater escalation, the ministry said.

On Tuesday, Biden was asked whether the claim of 'dirty bomb' use was the beginning of a false-flag operation by Russia. To this, the US President said: "I spent a lot of time today talking about that. Let me just say: Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake for it to use a tactical 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 added.

To a question on whether the US would be forced to respond if Moscow carried out a nuclear attack, US Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the President has said this many, many times and he has been very clear about this. "He said it again today: It would be a major mistake for Russia to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine, leading to severe consequences," she said.

"Russia is pushing transparently false allegations. You heard me say that, you heard my colleague over at the State Department say that yesterday — that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory — territory.  We are calling that false — false allegations by Russia," Jean-Pierre added.

The secretary further said that in the past, Russia has used allegations as a pretext to escalate.

Today, the Russian Defence Minister dialled his counterpart in India Rajnath Singh and reiterated his claim that Ukraine was planning to use a 'dirty bomb'. The Defence Ministry said both ministers discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

Shoigu briefed Singh on the evolving situation in Ukraine, including his concerns about possible provocations through the use of a ‘dirty bomb’, the ministry said, adding that Defence Minister reiterated India's position on the need to pursue the path of dialogue and diplomacy for an early resolution of the conflict. 

Rajnath Singh pointed out that the nuclear option should not be resorted to by any side as the prospect of the usage of nuclear or radiological weapons goes against the basic tenets of humanity.