President Joe Biden's chilling threat last week of possible nuclear "armageddon" was not based on any new development or intelligence received by the U.S., a top Biden spokesperson said Sunday. Biden's comments appeared to be a direct assessment of Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear capabilities.

"These comments were not based on new or fresh intelligence or new indications that Mr. Putin has made a decision to use nuclear weapons and, quite frankly, we don't have any indication that he has made that kind of decision," John Kirby, a top spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, told ABC News' "This Week."

"Nor have we seen anything that would give us pause to reconsider our own strategic nuclear posture in our efforts to defend our own national security interests and those of our allies and partners," Kirby said, citing Biden's promise that "neither we nor our allies are going to be intimidated by this."

The White House still believes that stakes remain high with Russia, amid Putin's continued references to the Russian nuclear arsenal and the faltering invasion of Ukraine.

Biden's comments at a fundraiser in New York City last week took many by surprise, as he hammered on the possibility of Russia deploying nuclear weapons.

"We have not faced the prospect of Armageddon since Kennedy and the Cuban missile crisis," he said. "I don't think there's any such thing as the ability to easily (use) a tactical nuclear weapon and not end up with Armageddon."

Biden has taken a precarious position regarding Putin's tactics in Ukraine as the U.S. attempts to plan for a growing number of contingencies. He has stated that "there is a lot at stake."

"We are trying to figure out what is Putin's offramp. Where does he get off? Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself in a position that he does not - not only lose face but lose significant power within Russia," Biden said.

Secretary of State Antony Blinkin recently called for Putin to abandon his "reckless nuclear threats" during an address to the U.N. Security Council.

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