Russia's war on Ukraine 'should make your blood run cold' - Biden accuses Putin of violating UN

The US president attacked Vladimir Putin for launching a 'brutal, needless war', as US Correspondent Robert Moore reports

Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the motivations of a "war by one man" should make everyone's "blood run cold", President Joe Biden has said during a United Nations speech.

Mr Biden accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of launching a "brutal, needless war" that has "shamelessly violated the UN charter".

"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," Mr Biden told world leaders.

"Wherever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe - that should make your blood run cold."

'This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are'

Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, the US president also dismissed Putin's claims that Russia had to invade its neighbour because it was under threat.

"This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are," he said.

"No-one threatened Russia and no-one other than Russia sought conflict."

Mr Biden's comments came after the Russian president’s comments in a rare televised address to his nation appeared to suggest the 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.

Putin warned his threats are "not a bluff” when he vowed that Russia would use “all the means at our disposal” - suggesting weapons of mass destruction - to protect itself 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 his country.

“To those who allow themselves such statements regarding Russia, I want to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction,” Mr Putin said.

Mr Biden told the UN assembly that his Russian counterpart's new nuclear threats against Europe showed “reckless disregard” for his nation's responsibilities as a signatory of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

He criticised Russia for scheduling “sham referenda” this week in territory it has forcibly seized in Ukraine.

“A permanent member of the U.N. Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map," he told world leaders.

"Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the UN charter."

The UN charter is the founding document of the United Nations, signed in 1945, and is considered an international treaty uniting world leaders in their commitment to work for peace.

He described the war as an affront to the heart of what the international body stands for as he looked to rally allies to stand firm in backing the Ukrainian resistance.

Prime Minister Liz Truss earlier dismissed Putin's comments as “sabre rattling” and jointly, with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, described the Russian military mobilisation as “a statement of weakness”.