Joe Biden Says Vladimir Putin's Nuclear Threats Are Real, Could Spark Catastrophic 'Armageddon'

President Joe Biden has warned that Russia's President Vladimir Putin's threat of using nuclear weapons was real, which could lead to "Armageddon."

According to Associated Press, Biden was speaking at a fundraiser for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in New York on Thursday when he said that Putin was "not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons."

As he claimed he knew Putin "fairly well," Biden noted that the threat from Putin was real because Putin's military "is significantly underperforming." The president added that the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" was at the highest level since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis," he noted. Biden also warned that using a lower-yield tactical weapon could immediately spiral out of control into global devastation.

He said he "don't think there is any such a thing as the ability to easily use a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon." The president also said he was still figuring out Putin's "off-ramp" in Ukraine.

"Where does he [Putin] find a way out?" Biden asked as he spoke to Democratic donors. "Where does he find himself where he does not only lose face but significant power?"

Biden's remarks were the starkest warnings yet issued by the U.S. government about the nuclear war. Putin had repeatedly hinted at using Russia's vast nuclear arsenal, including last month when he warned the West that he'd be ready to use nuclear weapons to defend his country.

In a televised national address, Putin said Russia will certainly use all the means "at our disposal to protect Russia and our people," adding that it was not a "bluff."

He also announced a partial mobilization of reservists that could raise available troops by up to 300,000 to bolster his forces in Ukraine.

U.S. officials recently said they had not seen any changes to Russia's nuclear forces, which would require a change in the alert posture of the nuclear forces of the U.S.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin's Nuclear Weapons

According to BBC, analysts suggest that Vladimir Putin's warnings and actions should not be interpreted as signaling a desire to use nuclear weapons but for other countries not to escalate their involvement in Ukraine.

Figures from the Federation of American Scientists showed that Russia has 5,977 warheads, while the U.S. has 5,428. Based on the latest publicly declared data, Russia has 1,458 strategic nuclear warheads deployed or ready to fire, and the U.S. has 1,389 deployed.

These warheads are on intercontinental ballistic missiles, ballistic missiles on submarines, and strategic bombers. Al Jazeera reported that Russia has 10 times more numbers when it comes to tactical nuclear weapons as compared to the U.S.

Nearly half of the 200 U.S. tactical nuclear weapons are reportedly deployed in Europe bases. Last week, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington has been "clear" to Russia about the "catastrophic consequences" if it used nuclear weapons.

He added that they still do not see signs of the imminent use of nuclear arms. He said they continue to monitor the situation closely and consult with allies and partners.

Russia's Vladimir Putin Deployed Nuclear Submarine

NATO warned last week that Vladimir Putin had deployed the world's biggest submarine, which can be armed with nuclear "apocalypse drone" torpedos.

With its underwater drone torpedo, Poseidon, U.S. Sun reported that the K-329 Belgorod nuclear submarine could cause radioactive tsunamis and wipe out enemy coastlines.

NATO has warned its member nations about the location of the 14,700-ton war machine. The Belgorod is believed to be currently submerged in Arctic waters, and it is feared that Putin will use the Ukraine invasion to test the weapon for the first time.

The nuclear submarine was earlier described as a "game changer" for Putin's navy after suffering a series of humiliations amid its war with Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, it could reportedly carry up to eight Poseidons, each 79 feet long, which could unleash Armageddon.

H.I. Sutton, a defense expert, told La Repubblica that the nuclear submarine was a "completely new type of weapon that will force Western navies" to alter their planning and develop measures to counter it.

The Poseidon has reportedly been in development since before the fall of the Soviet Union. Nuclear weapons can cause huge loss of life and lasting consequences.

There is a massive fireball after a blinding flash and then a blast wave, which could destroy buildings and structures for several kilometers. A small number of people is expected to survive in the immediate impact area of a nuclear explosion.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: President Joe Biden to Vladimir Putin on Threat of Nuclear War - From 60 Minutes