Biden says Putin is weighing use of chemical weapons in Ukraine

WASHINGTON • Russia's false accusations that Kyiv has biological and chemical weapons illustrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering using them himself in his war against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said, without citing evidence.

Mr Putin's "back is against the wall and now he's talking about new false flags he's setting up, including asserting that we in America have biological as well as chemical weapons in Europe, simply not true", Mr Biden said at a Business Roundtable event on Monday.

"They are also suggesting that Ukraine has biological and chemical weapons in Ukraine. That's a clear sign he's considering using both of those," said the United States President.

The remarks echoed prior comments by officials in Washington and allied countries, who have accused Russia of spreading an unproven claim that Ukraine had a biological weapons programme as a possible prelude to potentially launching its own biological or chemical attacks.

Russia's defence ministry has accused Kyiv, without providing evidence, of planning a chemical attack against its own people in order to accuse Moscow of using chemical weapons in the invasion of Ukraine that began on Feb 24.

Earlier this month, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Mr Nikolay Patrushev, secretary of Russia's Security Council, warning him of consequences for "any possible Russian decision to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine".

The White House did not specify what those consequences would be.

Separately, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday urged an end to the "absurd war" started by Russia's invasion of Ukraine one month ago, warning that the conflict is "going nowhere, fast" and that the Ukrainian people are "enduring a living hell".

"Continuing the war in Ukraine is morally unacceptable, politically indefensible and militarily nonsensical," Mr Guterres told reporters.

Mr Biden, in his comments on Monday, also said that Russia used a hypersonic missile to destroy a weapons depot on Saturday.

He said the Ukrainians are "wreaking havoc against the Russian military, whether it's their tanks or their helicopters or their aircraft", adding: "And if you notice, they've just launched their hypersonic missile because it's the only thing they can get through with absolute certainty."

An administration official clarified on Monday evening that Mr Biden was confirming Russia's use of such an advanced missile, but added that the impact of the attack was unknown. One senior US defence official had earlier raised questions about the legitimacy of the Russian account.

Russia's invasion, which it calls a "special military operation" to disarm Ukraine, has largely stalled, failing to capture any major city but causing massive destruction to residential areas.

Ukraine said on Monday it would not obey ultimatums from Russia after Moscow demanded it stop defending besieged Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are suffering through Russian bombardments.

Tomorrow, the US and its allies will discuss providing weaponry and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugee crisis at an extraordinary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, a meeting of the Group of Seven economies, and a European Council summit.

"During his visit to Brussels, President Biden will coordinate with our EU partners on all aspects of our response to President Putin's unprovoked and unjustified war on Ukraine, and this includes the concerns we share with the EU if China provides material support to Russia," said a senior Biden administration official.

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE