The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, is warning that there will be a further escalation of the fighting in Ukraine and that it may lead to Russia using chemical weapons.
Stoltenberg denied accusations by Russia and China that the United States and Ukrainian governments are operating a secret “military-biological program,” which is “proof” that Russia’s invasion was justified.
DW:
He said Ukrainians were resisting Russian forces with courage and determination, but the coming days could get worse.
Stoltenberg also dismissed recent “absurd claims” by Moscow that the US was secretly operating laboratories in Ukraine to make chemical and biological weapons.
“Now that these false allegations have been made, we must remain vigilant, because it is possible that Russia itself could be conducting missions with chemical weapons under this tissue of lie,” he said.
He also rejected calls for NATO to impose and enforce a no-fly zone over Ukraine. “That could mean a direct confrontation and escalation. We need to end this war, not let it expand,” he added.
As a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, he said: “End this war, withdraw all your forces back and commit to diplomacy.”
On Friday, Joe Biden warned that Russia will pay a “severe price” if the country uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.
CNN:
Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine or manufacture a “false flag” operation that uses them, Psaki said Wednesday. The press secretary, slamming what she called false claims from Russia that the US is developing chemical weapons in Ukraine, tweeted, “Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. It’s a clear pattern.”
Putin’s Russia has used poison to murder critics, a violation of the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. But there is little evidence of any large-scale use of chemical weapons on civilian targets by Russia, although Moscow’s ally in Syria, Bashar Assad, has gassed his own people on numerous occasions.
It’s not that Putin would be averse to using chemical weapons if he believed they could help him win the war. It just doesn’t appear likely. What he would gain on the battlefield would almost certainly be lost at the negotiating table as the wave of disgust against Russia would hamper any movements to lift sanctions and return to normal.
Source: PJ Media
