"The more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ."
US President Joe Biden has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin may be considering the use of biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine.
While speaking to American business leaders in Washington DC on Monday, Biden said that Putin's back is now "against the wall" and that he was not anticipating "the extent or strength" of NATO's unity.
"The more his back is against the wall, the greater the severity of the tactics he may employ," the US President added.
“We’ve seen it before. He’s run a lot of false-flag operations.
"Whenever he starts talking about something he thinks NATO, Ukraine or the United States is about to do, it means he’s getting ready to do it. Not a joke.
“He’s asserting that we, in America, have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe - simply not true. I guarantee you.
“They’re also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine.
"That’s a clear sign he is considering using both of those. He’s already used chemical weapons in the past, and we should be careful of what’s about to come.
"He knows there’ll be severe consequences because of the united NATO front, but the point is, it’s real," the US President also said, though he did not provide specifics of what actions NATO would take.
Biden also warned the business leaders that Russia may be planning a cyberattack against the US.
"Today my administration has issued renewed warnings that, based on evolving intelligence, Russia may be planning a cyberattack against us," he said.
"And as I’ve said, the magnitude of Russia’s cyber capacity is fairly consequential and it’s coming."
The US President's comments come as
new eye-witness reports of the ongoing assault of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have emerged.
