International Desk: U.S. President Joe Biden said that he doubted whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would use a tactical nuclear weapon as Ukraine pleaded in Western military aid to defend against Russian missile strikes on its cities.

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Asked how realistic he believed it would be for Putin to use a tactical nuclear weapon, Biden responded, "Well, I don’t think he will."

Russian Pesident Vladimir Putin, under domestic pressure to increase the war as his forces have lost ground since early September, ordered Monday's missile strikes in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on Russia's bridge to annexed Crimea.

In recent weeks, Moscow moved to annex new tracts of Ukraine after referendums widely denounced as illegal, mobilised hundreds of thousands of Russians to fight, and repeatedly threatened to use nuclear arms, stoking alarm in the West.

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Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary Genera, told on Tuesday the military alliance has not noticed any change in Russia's nuclear posture following the threats.

Ukraine’s military said that its forces drove Russian troops out of several settlements near the Russian-occupied town of Beryslav in the Kherson region.

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Russian missiles destroyed buildings in the Zaporizhzhia region overnight but there were no reports of casualties, regional Governor Oleksandr Starukh said on the Telegram messaging app.

At least 19 people killed on Monday's attacks and wounded more than 100 and knocked out power across the country in Moscow's biggest aerial offensive since the start of its invasion on Feb. 24.

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More missile strikes on Tuesday killed 7 people in the southeastern town of Zaporizhzhia, a presidential aide said, and left part of the western city of Lviv without power.

About 30% of the entire Ukrainian energy system had been damaged by Russian missile strikes over the past two days, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko told CNN.

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Biden doubted Putin nuclear missile strikes

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