Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday warned that Russia may find a pretext to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.
The remarks of the alliance chief come hours after Ukraine accused Russia of using phosphorus bombs on civilians.
“We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons,” he told reporters after a NATO summit in Brussels, adding any use of chemical weapons would have widespread consequences.
He said that the repercussions on the use of chemical weapons would be felt across Europe.
“There is also a risk that it (a chemical weapons attack) will have a direct effect on people living in NATO countries because we can see contamination, we can see the spread of chemical agents or biological weapons into our countries,” said Stoltenberg, whose term has been extended by a year due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Notably, in a CNN interview, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia would use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat”.
Thursday marked the one month anniversary since Russia invaded Ukraine.
At least 1,035 people have been killed and 1,650 wounded, the United Nations human rights office said.
Also read | Ukraine accuses Russia of using phosphorus bombs to kill civilians
Ninety children were among the dead, it said in a statement, adding that the true figures were believed to be considerably higher due to delays in reporting from areas with intense hostilities, including the southern besieged city of Mariupol.
Meanwhile, the Russian onslaught against Ukraine continues unabated. Russian troops have bombed areas of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and port city Mariupol on Wednesday.
Also see | One month since Russia invaded Ukraine: Hundreds dead, millions displaced – When will it end?
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko says 264 civilians in the city have been killed by Russian attacks.
Satellite photographs showed massive destruction in Mariupol, once a city of 400,000 people, with columns of smoke rising from burning residential apartment buildings, reports Reuters.
Watch | NATO Chief Stoltenberg’s term extended by a year due to Russia-Ukraine war
(With inputs from agencies)
