US president Joe Biden has said he does not think Russian leader Vladimir Putin will use tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine.
In an interview on Tuesday night Mr Biden also said he believed Mr Putin was rational but had miscalculated significantly in deciding to invade Ukraine.
Mr Biden also told US broadcaster CNN that Saudi Arabia would face “consequences” for siding with Russia last week to cut oil global production.
The president also said he would begin considering his political future and whether to run for a second term after the forthcoming midterm elections in the United States in November.
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Mr Biden, who will be 80 next month, said he believed he could beat Donald Trump if both ran again for the White House in 2024.
The president also said he was “proud” of his son Hunter Biden for being open about his past drug addiction problems.
Mr Biden also forecast that there would not be a recession in the United States. He subsequently said if there was a recession — as has been predicted by some economists and business leaders — it would be “very slight”
“That is, we’ll move down slightly”, he said.
Mr Biden said Saudi Arabia would face “consequences” arising from backing the move by oil-exporting countries last week to cut global production. However, he did not give any indication of what these could be.
Leading politicians in Mr Biden’s Democratic Party have urged the White House to take action against Saudi Arabia such as restricting weapon sales or military support after the decision by oil exporting countries last week to cut production — despite strong lobbying from the United States.
Democrats fear the move could result in increases in petrol prices in the weeks leading up to the midterm elections in November.
on Ukraine, Mr Biden said the Russian leader “thought he was going to be welcomed with open arms, [by invading Ukraine], that this was the home of Mother Russia in Kyiv, and that where he was going to be welcomed, and I think he just totally miscalculated”.
Mr. Biden also said that comments he made last week warning about the threat of nuclear “Armageddon” in the Ukraine conflict, were aimed at the Russian leader himself.
“I’m talking to Putin,” the president said in the interview. “He, in fact, cannot continue with impunity to talk about the use of a tactical nuclear weapon, as if that’s a rational thing to do.”
“And it could end in Armageddon,” he said,
Asked how realistic it would be for the Russian leader to use a tactical nuclear weapon the president said: “Well I don’t think he will.”
Mr Biden said he had no intention of meeting Mr Putin about the future of Ukraine at a forthcoming meeting of the G20 group of countries. He said he could have discussions if the Russian leader wanted to talk about US basketball start Brittney Griner who has been held in Russia since earlier this year and who was sentenced to nine years in prison for drug possession.
“I’m not about to, nor is anyone else prepared to, negotiate with Russia about them staying in Ukraine, keeping any part of Ukraine, et cetera. So it would depend on specifically what he wanted to talk about.”
There have been reports in US media that Hunter Biden could face criminal charges over tax issues and for lying on an application to buy a gun at a time when he was struggling with drug addiction.
The president said in the interview on Tuesday: “This is a kid who got — not a kid, he’s a grown man — he got hooked on, like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life.”
“I’m confident that he is — what he says and does are consistent with what happens,” the President said. “And for example, he wrote a book about his problems and was straightforward about it. I’m proud of him,” Mr Biden said.
“This thing about a gun — I didn’t know anything about it. But turns out that when he made application to purchase a gun, what happened was he — I guess you get asked — I don’t guess, you get asked a question, are you on drugs, or do use drugs?’ He said no. And he wrote about saying no in his book.”
