President Biden promised a “consequential” response to any Russian use of nuclear or chemical weapons in its invasion of Ukraine. This comment came during a 60 Minutes episode that ran this evening. During the interview with host Scott Pelley, Biden delivered his most extensive remarks on the war in Ukraine since Kyiv recently reclaimed swaths of territory as part of a counteroffensive in the country’s East.
“Don’t, don’t, don’t,” said Biden, when asked for his message to Putin on the use of such weapons. Biden said that deciding to use them would “change the face of war — unlike since World War II.”
Biden told Pelley that he would not specify what a U.S. response to a future use of unconventional weapons would entail, but he stated that it would be significant.
“You think I would tell you if I knew exactly what it would be? Of course, I’m not going to tell you. It’ll be consequential. They’ll become more of a pariah in the world than they ever have been. And depending on the extent of what they do, [it] will determine what response would occur.”
Throughout the surprise counteroffensive, which began in early September, Ukrainian forces have seized more than 3,000 square miles of land that had previously been occupied by Russian troops since the start of the invasion in February.
The Ukrainian counteroffensive has unearthed previously unknown possible war crimes that occurred under Russian occupation. This week, the Ukrainian authorities found more than 400 unmarked graves in Izium, some with bodies that showed signs of torture.
“Winning the war in Ukraine is to get Russia out of Ukraine completely and to recognize their sovereignty,” Biden said. “Russia’s turning out to not be as competent and capable as many people thought they were going to be.”
Biden added that the U.S. would support Ukraine for “as long as it takes.” Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Biden administration has shipped various weapons to Ukraine, including missiles and artillery systems that have played a pivotal role in propping up the Ukrainian military’s war effort.
Congress is currently considering a bill that would provide the Ukrainian government with $13.6 billion in supplemental emergency funding. Earlier this year, it passed a $40 billion package to authorize funds to provide Ukraine with military equipment and other forms of financial assistance.