• Biden said Thursday that Putin was ‘not joking’ about using nukes in Ukraine
  • And he warned the world faced ‘Armageddon’ for the first time in decades
  • ‘We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis,’ he said at a fundraising event at James Murdoch’s home 
  • He gave his warning at the home of James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert 

President Joe Biden said on Thursday evening that Vladimir Putin was not joking about using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, and said the risk of of Armageddon was the highest it had been since the Cuban missile crisis.

He delivered his doomsday warning at a fundraising event for Democrats at the New York home of James Murdoch, son of media mogul Rupert.

It comes amid growing fears that Putin is backed into a corner and could use tactical nuclear weapons to push back advancing Ukrainian forces.

‘We’ve got a guy I know fairly well,’ said Biden said at the reception for the reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

‘He’s not joking when he talks about potential use of tactical nuclear weapons or biological or chemical weapons because his military is — you might say — significantly underperforming.’

Don’t be fooled by the idea that smaller, tactical weapons were not a major threat to the world, he continued at the reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

‘I don’t think there’s any such thing as the ability to easily [use] a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon,’ he said.

Putin controls the world's largest arsenal of nuclear weapons

Ukrainian forces have made significant gains as they pushed back Russian forces in recent weeks.

For the first time, Putin apparently faces concern at home that the war is coming unstuck.

A string of leaders have warned that a cornered Putin could unleash weapons of mass destruction, as much to retain a grip on power at home as change the tide of the war.

‘First time since the Cuban missile crisis, we have the threat of a nuclear weapon if in fact things continue down the path they are going,’ said Biden.

So far officials say they have not seen a change in Russia’s nuclear posture. But it still leaves them wondering how to nudge Putin towards giving up and going home.

Biden said: ‘We are trying to figure out, what is Putin’s off ramp? Where does he find a way out?

‘Where does he find himself where he does not only lose face but significant power?’

Before Biden unleashed his doomsday scenario, the focus had been on the choice of location for the event – in the heart of a family known for its alliance with the Republican Party.

The president was able to tailor one of his favorite lines to poke a little fun at the family.

‘This is not your father’s Republican Party,’ said Biden, as he described how Trump’s influence had triggered an assault on institutions from the Supreme Court to the White House.