“This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” Psaki tweeted Wednesday.
Digital Desk: The Biden administration has openly warned that Russia may try to deploy chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, as the White House dismisses Russian claims of unlawful chemical weapons development in the country it has invaded.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman
Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of running chemical and biological weapons labs on its soil this week, which was backed up by US White House press secretary Jen Psaki, who called Russia’s claim “preposterous” and suggested it could be part of an attempt by Russia to lay the groundwork for using such weapons of mass destruction against Ukraine.
“This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked, and unjustified attack on Ukraine,” Psaki tweeted Wednesday.
“Now that Russia has made these fraudulent allegations, and China appears to be endorsing it, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to deploy chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine or to stage a false flag operation using them,” Psaki added.
For months, the US has been warning about Russian “false flag” operations intended to provide a pretext for invasion. The warning on Wednesday suggested Russia was attempting to establish a pretext for intensifying the two-week-old conflict, which has seen the Russian onslaught halted but not stopped by stronger-than-expected Ukrainian defenders.
For years, the Western world has suspected Russia of using chemical weapons in assassination attempts against Putin foes such as Alexey Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Reportedly, Russia also backs Syria’s Assad government, which has used chemical weapons against its people throughout its decade-long civil war.
When questioned about the claim by a Russian journalist, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated. “At this time, we don’t have any information to back up these stories or these claims concerning these labs.”
“World Health Organization colleagues who have been working with the Ukrainian governments indicated they are unaware of any conduct on the side of the Ukrainian government that violates its international treaty commitments, including on chemical or biological weapons,” Dujarric added.
Also Read: Russia-Ukraine Crisis: World Bank Approves $723 million Financial Package to Ukraine
