US President Joe Biden has expressed doubt over Russian President Vladimir Putin's comments that he has no intention of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
According to the Reuters news agency, a day earlier, President Vladimir Putin said that Russia had not threatened to use nuclear weapons and that it had responded to nuclear "blackmail" from Western leaders.
In an interview with News Nation, US President Joe Biden said, "If he had no intention, why does he keep talking about it?" Why is he talking about the ability to use tactical nuclear weapons?'
In recent weeks, President Putin and other Russian officials have repeatedly said that Moscow could use nuclear weapons to protect its territorial integrity.
Earlier in an interview on CNN, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said there was a possibility that Russia was considering using a 'dirty bomb' to blame Ukraine. However, he said that the United States has not yet seen any such signs related to the use of the bomb.
The US president said that using nuclear weapons in Ukraine would be a huge mistake.
Asked if Russia was preparing a "false flag" attack, Joe Biden said he could not say definitively.
Russia has told the United Nations that Ukraine is preparing to use a 'dirty bomb' containing radioactive material.
Moscow sent a letter to the United Nations on Monday raising the issue.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected Russia's accusations regarding the 'dirty bomb'.
Relations between the West and Russia have been strained since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
