Biden condemns Putin’s ‘overt’ nuclear threats, urges UN allies to reject Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

Our President Joe Biden harshly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Wednesday, told the United Nations General Assembly that the gratuitous war directly violated the organization’s charter and warned of escalating nuclear threats by the United Nations. Russian President. Vladimir Putin.

“Let’s put it plainly: a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council has invaded a neighboring country, trying to erase the sovereign nation from the map,” Biden said in his speech. at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. “Russia has shamelessly violated the core principles of the United Nations charter, nothing less than the explicit prohibition of states from taking the territory of a neighbor by force.”

Biden’s remarks come as Europe faces biggest crisis since World War II as countries grapple with how to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The event marks the first time the UN General Assembly has met in person in three years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is Putin’s own words that make his true purpose unmistakable: Just before he invaded, Putin asserted, and I quote that ‘Ukraine was created by Russia’ and never has “real status,” Biden said. “This war is aimed at stamping out Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, simple and ordinary.”

Putin announced a partial military mobilization in Russia early Wednesday morning in pre-recorded televised speeches. The Russian president did not provide many details in his speech about what the partial mobilization would lead to, but it does mean that Russian businesses and citizens must contribute more to the war effort. painting. Russia has yet to declare war on Ukraine, despite invading in February, and it calls its invasion a “special military operation”.

However, Putin threatened to use nuclear weapons in his morning speech, and Mr. Biden strongly objected.

“No matter what else is happening in the world, the United States stands ready to pursue significant arms control measures. A nuclear war cannot be won and should never be waged,” Biden said. . “Russia moves away from the ideal of non-proliferation accepted by other countries at the 10th NPT Review Conference, and today as I said, they are making irresponsible threats to use nuclear weapons.”

A senior White House official told NBC News that a line was added to Biden’s remarks in response to Putin’s speech.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed a similar sentiment in opening speech to the agency on Tuesday, saying that “the world is in danger and crippled,” citing poverty, climate change and war.

“The UN Charter and the ideals it stands for are at stake and we have a duty to act,” Guterres said on Tuesday.