President Joe Biden’s warning last week that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was “not joking” about possibly using nuclear weapons was “concerning” but counterproductive to bringing an end to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, retired Adm. Mike Mullen said Sunday.
Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” to assess the nuclear threat from Russia after Putin threatened to use “all available means” to protect what he called country’s territorial integrity.
“President Biden’s language — we’re about at the top of the language scale, if you will. And I think we need to back off that a little bit and do everything we possibly can to try to get to the table to resolve this thing,” Mullen told “This Week” co-anchor Martha Raddatz.
Raddatz followed up and challenged Mullen’s proposed resolution: “How do you see him [Putin] saving face if he doesn’t come to the table? If Ukraine can’t figure anything out?”
Diplomacy and international pressure on both Ukraine and Russia would ultimately be key, Mullen argued.
“It’s got to end and usually there are negotiations associated with that,” he said. “The sooner the better, as far as I’m concerned.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
