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Latest news on Russia and the war in Ukraine

Biden doubts Putin’s claim of having ‘no intention’ to use nuclear weapons

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed skepticism toward Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims in a recent speech that he had no need or intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

Sarah Silbiger | Reuters

U.S. President Joe Biden expressed skepticism toward Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claims in a recent speech that he had no need or intention to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine.

“If he has no intention, why does he keep talking about it? Why is he talking about the ability to use a tactical nuclear weapon?” Biden said during an interview with NewsNation. “He’s been very dangerous in how he’s approached this.”

Putin, in a speech Thursday, downplayed the possibility of a nuclear conflict and denied that Russia had threatened to use nuclear weapons. He said that Moscow was only responding to “nuclear blackmail” from the West.

In earlier weeks, however, Putin and other high-level Kremlin officials had expressed Russia’s readiness to use all means at their disposal, including nuclear weapons, to protect the territorial integrity of Russia, which was understood to include the illegally annexed territories of Ukraine.

— Natasha Turak

Putin says there’s ‘no need’ and ‘no point’ in using nuclear weapons in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously vowed to use “all means available to protect Russia,” which observers took to mean nuclear weapons, but the president said in his latest remarks that that was merely a response to what he called “nuclear blackmail” by Western leaders.

Sergei Karpukhin | Sputnik | Reuters

Russian President Vladimir Putin poured cold water on claims that Russia would deploy nuclear weapons over Ukraine, despite repeatedly citing his ability to use such weapons if Russia’s “territorial integrity” was threatened.

“We see no need for that,” Putin said Thursday, speaking at a conference of foreign policy experts. “There is no point in that, neither political, nor military.”

Putin had previously vowed to use “all means available to protect Russia,” which observers took to mean nuclear weapons, but the president said in his latest remarks that that was merely a response to what he called “nuclear blackmail” by Western leaders.

He made particular reference to former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss’s comments in August that she would be prepared to use nuclear weapons as leader.

— Natasha Turak

Russia is likely using ‘mobilized reservists’ to boost its units west of the Dnipro river, UK says

Russia is likely using mobilized reservists to boost its units west of Ukraine’s Dnipro river, but troop numbers are already very low there, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its latest intelligence update on Twitter.

“In September 2022, Russian officers described companies in the Kherson sector as consisting of between six and eight men each. Companies should deploy with around 100 personnel,” the ministry tweeted.

“In the last six weeks there has been a clear move from Russian ground forces to transition to a long-term, defensive posture on most areas of the front line in Ukraine,” the ministry said.

“This is likely due to a more realistic assessment that the severely undermanned, poorly trained force in Ukraine is currently only capable of defensive operations.”

It continued, “Even if Russia succeeds in consolidating long-term defensive lines in Ukraine, its operational design will remain vulnerable.”

— Natasha Turak

IAEA inspectors will arrive soon to inspect facilities in Ukraine following Russian ‘dirty bomb’ allegations

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi during his briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 13, 2022 (Photo by Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images

IAEA director general Rafael Mariano Grossi said that its inspectors will arrive in Ukraine this week on the heels of Russian allegations that Kyiv is preparing to use a “dirty bomb.”

“I am very grateful for the openness that the Ukrainian government and I had a very comprehensive discussion with Ukrainian foreign minister Kuleba about this. He came to the conclusion and I agree that the best way to dispel any doubt is to allow the inspectors in and this is what we’re going to do,” Grossi told reporters at the United Nations.

Grossi added that it will likely only take a few days to carry out the inspections.

The U.S. and its allies have dismissed Russian allegations that Ukraine is assembling a ‘dirty bomb.’

— Amanda Macias

‘This meeting is a waste of everyone’s time,’ U.S. Ambassador to U.N. slams Russian disinformation attempts

New US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks after meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the United Nations on February 25, 2021 in New York City.

Angela Weiss | AFP | Getty Images

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield told her colleagues before the U.N. Security Council meeting that she would keep her remarks short because “frankly, this meeting is a waste of everyone’s time.”

“Russia has called us here, once again, for the sole purpose of spreading disinformation. We all know these claims are pure fabrications, brought forth without a shred of evidence,” Thomas-Greenfield said referencing recent Moscow claims that Kyiv has a biological weapon.

 “We hear Russia raise alarms that biological weapons will be delivered by birds and bats and now even mosquitoes. Birds and bats,” she said, calling Russia’s allegations “absurd.”

“Russia’s assertions are absurd for many reasons, including because such species, even if they could be weaponized, would pose as much a threat to the European continent and to Ukraine itself as they would to any other country,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

— Amanda Macias

Read CNBC’s previous live coverage here:

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