U.S. President Joe Biden said he doesn’t think Russian President will use nuclear weapons despite repeated threats to do so - even as the Russian leader continues to press on in the war in Ukraine.

“Well, I don’t think he will. But I think that it’s irresponsible for him to talk about it”, - Biden said in an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Vladimir Putin has indirectly threatened to use nuclear weapons. In a televised speech in September, he announced a partial military mobilization and said he would “certainly use all the means at our disposal to protect Russia and our people”. The White House has repeatedly said it takes Russia’s threats of nuclear war seriously but does not see indications of a present threat. Biden on Thursday warned of the “prospect of Armageddon” if Russia were to use nuclear weapons.

“The whole point I was making was, it could leader to just a horrible outcome. And not because anybody intends to turn it into a world war or anything, but... once you use a nuclear weapon, the mistakes that can be made, the miscalculations. Who knows what would happen? I believe Putin is a rational actor who’s miscalculated significantly”, - Biden said.