President Joe Biden has set up a 'Tiger Team' that is said to ultimately decide how the US will respond if Vladimir Putin resorts to nuclear or chemical weapon usage in Ukraine.
The force was reportedly recruited just days after Russia's invasion of the country.
Officials are said to meet three times a week to examine various strategies to help combat the issue if it were to arise.
The 'Tiger Team' apparently also looks at what Russia's next strategy will be with regards to the possibility of them invading another country, such as Georgia or Moldova, The Sun reports.
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As well as war scenarios, the Tiger Team is reportedly working on strategies to aid the increasing refugee crisis across Europe, and how countries can prepare for it.
Made up of a select group of national security advisors, the Tiger Team assesses different possible scenarios and what the best course of action would be. The team is said to be looking at the possibility of chemical, biological or nuclear attacks amid the invasion of Ukraine.
After meeting with NATO leaders in Brussel, when asked about the use of such weapons, US President Joe Biden said: "We would respond. We would respond if he uses it. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use."
The group is also believed to be examining possible responses if Russia expanded the war to neighbouring countries, The Telegraph reports.
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Despite the ongoing threat of nuclear weapons, the POTUS was speaking at the NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, 24 March, and reiterated that the new sanctions on Russia 'are here to stay'.
"The single most important thing is for us to stay unified," Biden said. "I did not say that sanctions would in fact deter him. Sanctions never deter. You keep talking about that.
"The maintenance of sanctions, increasing the pain... is to be sure that after a month we will sustain what we’re doing – not just next month, the following month, but for the remainder of this entire year."
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Biden was also asked: "Do you believe the actions taken today will have an impact on making Russia change course in Ukraine?"
"That's not what I said. You're playing a game with me," he responded, per The Hill.
"The single most important thing is for us to stay unified.
"And the world continue to focus on what a brute this guy is, and all the innocent people's lives are being lost and ruined and what's going on. That's the important thing.
"But, look, if you're Putin, and you think that Europe is going to crack in a month, six weeks, or two months, why not?
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"They can take anything for another month."
Biden called for everyone to be 'fully, totally, thoroughly united'.
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Topics: Joe Biden, Russia, Ukraine
