Biden says nuclear risk highest since 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis

US President Joe Biden has said the risk of nuclear “Armageddon” is at its highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

Biden said Russia’s Putin was “not joking” when he spoke of using tactical nuclear weapons after suffering setbacks in Ukraine.

The US was “trying to figure out” Mr Putin’s way out of the war, he added.

Ukraine has retaken territory that had been occupied by Russia, including areas in the four regions Russia illegally annexed recently.

US officials have been warning that Russia could resort to the use of weapons of mass destruction as the Kremlin continues to suffer setbacks on the battlefield.

President Biden said the reason Putin had not been “not joking” when he talked about using tactical nuclear, biological or chemical weapons – “because his military is, you might say, significantly underperforming”.