WORLD

The West warns Russia of using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine war

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, U.S. President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson, France’s President Emmanuel Macron, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi pose for a family photo during the G7 summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022. Michael Kappeler /Pool via REUTERS

There has been ongoing concern about Russia’s possible use of chemical and biological weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war, especially as some say Putin hasn’t made the amount of progress he’s probably wanted on the ground in Ukraine. This comes after Ukraine President Zelenskiy also said that Russia had already used phosphorus bombs against civilians in Ukraine via a video call to the G7 leaders when they met on Thursday.

Key comments:

“The threat of full-scale use by Russia of chemical weapons on the territory of Ukraine is real," said Zelenskiy to the summit.

“Should Russia be preparing a false-flag operation in order to use such weapons [in Ukraine], this would be in violation of all rules, agreements and conventions," said German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “It is our concern not only to point this out but also to warn in the conversations we have: Don’t do it," he added.

A chemical attack by Russia “would trigger a response in kind," said US President Joe Biden.

Read the group’s joint statement here.

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