The News
The US wants to intensify international pressure on Russia over its use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, a senior State Department official told Semafor ahead of a key meeting this week.
At this week’s Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) meeting in the Netherlands, which kicks off Monday, the US is calling on the more than 190 member states “to unite in demanding that the Russian Federation cease using chemical weapons as a method of war,” the official said.
The annual conference follows the organization saying for the first time that chemical weapons have been used in Ukraine, where Kyiv has reported over 4,000 incidents. As the OPCW continues its work in Ukraine, the official said the body is likely to confirm further instances of chemical weapons use.
“We hope the Russian Federation understands that this is the beginning of a process in which the international community is able to channel its demand that they not use chemical weapons,” the official said.
Know More
While it’s unclear whether the US will take new actions to punish Russia for violating the global ban on chemical weapons, the official said that US officials planned to discuss “what the next most effective moves are” with partners and allies.
“Our focus at this stage is to ensure that there is nearly universal resolve that this report and Russia’s continued use of chemical weapons represents a fundamental challenge to the [Chemical Weapons Convention] regime,” the official said.
The US and UK have previously warned of Russia’s illegal use of banned choking agents, sanctioning Russian troops involved in using the weapons on the battlefield as well as other individuals and firms connected to the Kremlin’s chemical and biological weapons programs.
Russia has denied the allegations and claimed that Ukraine is planning to use chemical weapons of its own, without showing any evidence to substantiate its rebuttals.
Meanwhile, Russia has expanded construction at a Soviet-era lab, The Washington Post reported, where experts believe scientists could be developing deadly pathogens.