Tensions at the United Nations have risen sharply as Russia, the United States and Britain today exchanged accusations of a possible chemical weapons attack on Ukraine, with neither side providing evidence to support its concern.
The remarks came as diplomats told reporters after Russia raised the issue of ammonia leaks in the besieged city of Sumy in northeastern Ukraine – accusing “Ukrainian supranationalist groups” – of a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council. The claim was rejected by Britain and the United States.
Russia’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Dmitry Poliansky, has said that the Russian armed forces “never planned or carried out attacks on Ukrainian facilities where toxic substances were stored or produced.” “It is clear that the Ukrainian nationalist authorities, encouraged by Western countries, will not hesitate to intimidate their fellow citizens and direct fake attacks to accuse Russia,” Poliansky said.
This is the third time Russia has raised the issue of biological or chemical weapons since launching an invasion of Ukraine – which it calls a “special military operation” – on February 24.
“It is difficult not to conclude – given their history in Britain, in Russia against Alexei Navalny, what we have seen in Syria – that it could be a prelude to the Russians themselves directing some sort of fake chemical weapons attack,” she said. British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward to journalists.
For her part, the US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, dismissed Russia’s allegations as “ridiculous.” “Our concern is that they may be a harbinger of Russia’s plans to use chemical weapons,” he added.
A senior Pentagon official said today that the United States has no specific indications of an impending Russian chemical or biological weapons attack on Ukraine, but that it is still closely monitoring the situation.
US President Joe Biden said Monday that Russia’s false allegations that Kyiv has biological and chemical weapons show that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering using them in an attack on Ukraine.
Poliansky likened the situation in Ukraine to that in Syria, where he said chemical attacks by “terrorist groups” were attributed to the Syrian authorities.
According to a study by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Syrian government used the neurotoxic sarin gas and in several cases used chlorine as a weapon. The same investigation also found evidence of the use of mustard gas by the Islamic State jihadist organization.
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