THE US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said today that the United States is not in a position to confirm anything about the reports for the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
“We are in direct talks with our partners to clarify what exactly happened. So that’s a real concern. “Blinken told reporters.
THE Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine Hannah Maliar He said the Ukrainian government was looking into unconfirmed reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons during the siege of Mariupol.
THE US President Joe Biden had stressed last month that Russia’s baseless allegations that Kyiv had biological and chemical weapons suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin was considering using them in Ukraine.
The production, use and storage of chemical weapons is prohibited under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Although condemned by human rights groups, white phosphorus is not banned under the Convention, Reuters notes.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine have denied the use of chemical weapons in Mariupol, according to Interfax.
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