2024-05-07 06:32:28
Washington/Moscow: The US has accused Russia of using chemical weapons, including poisonous gas, in the war against Ukraine. A US State Department spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday that Russia had used tear gas along with clopikrin against Ukrainian soldiers. Chloropicrin is an asphyxiating gas that was used extensively during World War I. America has said that Russia has used this gas as a chemical weapon in Ukraine to gain an edge in the war.
America said it was a violation of the treaty
America has called it a violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The CWC is an arms control treaty that has been signed by more than 150 countries, including Russia. The US State Department said the use of such chemicals was not an isolated incident and was likely motivated by the Russian military’s desire to remove Ukrainian forces from strong positions and gain an advantage on the battlefield. At the same time, Russia has rejected the White House’s allegations as false.
Russia called the allegations baseless
A Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Moscow is bound by a treaty banning chemical weapons. “As always, such declarations are absolutely baseless. Russia is and will remain committed to its obligations under international law in this area,” he said. Meanwhile, Russia’s Ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, in a post on Telegram messaging app, described Washington’s allegations of using chemical weapons as “disgusting and baseless”.
America threatened sanctions
America has threatened to impose sanctions on Russia. “The United States will impose sanctions on three state entities associated with Russia’s chemical and biological weapons programs and four companies that support them,” the State Department said. Ukrainian authorities have reported hundreds of cases of suspected chemical weapons use by Russian forces since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. President Joe Biden has also warned Russia against chemical weapons in Ukraine. Just a few days after Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Biden had said that if Putin used chemical weapons, we would respond. But there are many reports which suggest that Moscow has ignored this warning.