Joe Biden has confirmed that Russia launched a ‘hypersonic missile’ at Ukraine and accused President Vladimir Putin of planning chemical and biological weapons attacks.
The US President warned Moscow of a ‘severe’ Western response if WMDs were used in its brutal war on Ukraine, telling a gathering of American business leaders in Washington on Monday March 21: ‘His [Putin’s] back is against the wall. They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That’s a clear sign he’s considering using both.’
Biden continued: ‘They’re wreaking havoc on the, on the Russian military, whether it’s their tanks or their helicopters or their aircraft.
‘And if you notice, they’ve just launched their hypersonic missile, because it’s the only thing that they can get through without absolute certainty. It’s, as you all know, it’s a consequential weapon, but with the same warhead on it as any other launched missile – it doesn’t make that much difference except it’s almost impossible to stop it. There’s a reason they’re using it.’
Several military experts have questioned why the Russians would use the hypersonic weapon, if not to use Ukraine as a test run and send a political message.
The missiles are believed to fly at ten times the speed of sound and be able to evade air defenses.
Reacting to Russia accusing the US of holding chemical and biological weapons in Europe, Biden said: ‘Simply not true. I guarantee you. And now Putin’s back is against the wall. He wasn’t anticipating the extent or strength of our unity. And the more his back is against the wall, the greater severity, the tactics he may employ.’
