President Joe Biden warned Russia against using a nuclear or radioactive weapon in Ukraine and said he’s been in discussions Tuesday about the possibility.
"I spent a lot of time today talking about that,” Biden told reporters after receiving a Covid-19 booster shot, his fifth dose of the vaccine. "Let me just say, Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake were it to use a tactical nuclear weapon.”
Russian defense chief Sergei Shoigu alleged to his US and European counterparts over the weekend that Kyiv might use a so-called "dirty bomb” in the war -- an explosive device combined with radioactive material. Alarmed US and European officials rejected the claim, saying it may indicate that the Kremlin is planning a so-called "false flag” operation in which its forces use such a weapon and try to blame it on Ukraine.