“Closer to Armageddon than we’ve been since 1962”


uS President Joe Biden used an appearance before party supporters to warn of the danger of a nuclear confrontation with Russia. At a fundraising gala for November’s congressional elections, he said Thursday night in New York that the world had not faced the prospect of “Armageddon” since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. This was reported by journalists traveling with us, who, however, were not in the room.

Majid Sattar

Political correspondent for North America based in Washington.

Biden also said he knew Russian President Vladimir Putin fairly well. He doesn’t joke when he talks about the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons, chemical and biological weapons. Its military is weak in the fighting in Ukraine. He, Biden, does not believe that it would be possible to simply use tactical nuclear weapons, as Putin threatened to do in mid-September, without it leading to “Armageddon”.

US warns of “catastrophic consequences”

In view of the successful Ukrainian counter-offensive, Russia recently annexed four occupied Ukrainian territories in violation of international law. Putin announced that they would defend it with all available means.

Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, said in September that Washington takes the threats, which he called irresponsible, very seriously. Sullivan also warned that the use of tactical nuclear weapons would have “catastrophic consequences.” But he added that there is currently no sign that Moscow will use nuclear weapons.

Nonetheless, Sullivan spoke publicly about communicating with Moscow through a direct line — and that communication includes the “crucial responses” Washington would choose if Moscow chose to go down that “dark path.” As the FAZ reported after Putin’s threat, Washington is considering a conventional strike against Russian positions in Ukraine.

The fact that Biden now drew a comparison to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 could also have something to do with the election campaign. The fact that the president chose a party event speaks in favor of this. He had to know that his words would reach the journalists sitting outside. In any case, Biden chose the comparison with John F. Kennedy and the dramatic hours of successful secret diplomacy sixty years ago.

At the time, Kennedy reacted to the stationing of Soviet medium-range missiles in Cuba, which American U-2 aircraft had discovered, with a naval blockade. In those 13 days in October, the superpowers came as close as ever to a nuclear war. Kennedy remained steadfast, although the compromise that was finally found included not only withdrawing the Soviet missiles, but also – months later – the withdrawal of American Jupiter missiles from Turkey.



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