French President Emmanuel Macron chided President Biden for invoking the possibility of nuclear “Armageddon” and said his US counterpart should choose his words carefully.
“We must speak with prudence when commenting on such matters,” Macron told reporters at a European Union summit in Prague on Friday.
“I have always refused to engage in political fiction, and especially … when speaking of nuclear weapons,” he added. “On this issue, we must be very careful.”
Biden made his remarks about the potential end of the world during a Democratic fundraising event on Thursday
Vladimir Putin was “not joking when he talks about the use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons.” Biden said. “We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tamped down the Armageddon talk Friday and instead looked to place the blame back on Russia and Vladimir Putin — who has repeatedly raised the prospect of utilizing his country’s nuclear arsenal.
“Russia’s talk of using nuclear weapons is irresponsible and there’s no way to use them without unintended consequences. It cannot happen,” Jean-Pierre said.