US President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin has "shamelessly violated" Ukraine with his "reckless" threats at the UN General Assembly in New York City today.
The Democrat didn't hold back as he started his speech blasting the Russian leader over its "brutal, needless war" and accused Russia of violating core principles of UN membership by invading Ukraine.
He warned that Moscow was making "irresponsible" threats to use nuclear weapons.
“A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbour, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter,'' Mr Biden told the UN General Assembly.
He added: "A nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”
He added: "This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people.
“Wherever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe… That should make your blood run cold.”
He continued: “If nations can pursue their imperial ambitions without consequences, then we put at risk everything this very institution stands for, everything."
Biden said a country “cannot seize a nation’s territory by force".
He added: "Ukraine has the same rights belong to every sovereign nation. We will stand in solidarity with Ukraine who will stand in solidarity against Russia’s aggression, period.”
Mr Biden also said a deal allowing grain exports through the Black Sea is extended.
It comes hours after Putin issued a chilling threat that will use “all the means at our disposal” to protect itself.
In a televised address, the Russian leader appeared to suggest that conflict in Ukraine could spiral into a nuclear crisis.
He announced a partial military mobilisation, with 300,000 reservists set to be called up as the Kremlin attempts to regain ground in the face of a counter-attack by Ukraine’s forces.
And Mr Putin said, “it’s not a bluff” when he vowed that Russia would use its weapons of mass destruction if its territory was threatened.
The Russian leader accused the West of “nuclear blackmail” and claimed “high-ranking representatives of the leading Nato states” had talked about the possibility of using weapons of mass destruction against Russia.
Mr Putin said: "To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction.."
Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier rubbished the threat as “sabre rattling”.
Ms Truss said it was important for her to be at the gathering with fellow leaders “because we are facing such a difficult international situation with the war in Ukraine started by Vladimir Putin”.
She said: "We’ve heard more sabre rattling from him this morning. But also we need to get the global economy back on its feet after Covid, and really ensure democracy prevails.”
A former adviser to Mr Putin suggested the Russian leader would be ready to use nuclear weapons against western nations such as the UK.
On whether nuclear missiles could be targeted at London, Russian political scientist Sergei Markov claimed on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme “yes, it is possible”.
Mr Markov added: “This nuclear war could be a result of the crazy behaviour of the president of the United States Joe Biden and prime ministers of Great Britain Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.”
But Evgeny Popov, a member of the Duma for Mr Putin’s United Russia party, told the BBC: “We are not going to attack western countries first. We are not going to do some nuclear massacre in the world.
“It’s not our policy. It’s not our practice. We are peaceful people in Russia, but we can respond if you would attack us.”
The Prime Minister, who will hold talks with the US president on Wednesday, was using her visit to the United Nations to rally support for Ukraine.
