(Washington) The United States reported on Tuesday “credible information” on the possibility that Russia will use “chemical agents” in its offensive to take the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Posted at 2:09 p.m.
According to the head of the American diplomacy Antony Blinken, “Russian forces could use different riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents” against “Ukrainian fighters and civilians as part of their aggressive campaign to take Mariupol”. .
“We are sharing this information with Ukraine” and “are in direct contact with our partners to determine what is happening now, it is a real concern”, he declared to the press, while affirming not being “able to confirm” recent accusations that Russian forces have already used chemical weapons in Mariupol.
“It is a concern that we had even before the start of the aggression” of Russia against Ukraine, “I had warned against the possibility of recourse to this type of weapon, and that is something that we are following very, very closely,” insisted the Secretary of State.
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has also expressed concern over allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Mariupol.
“The (OPCW) Secretariat is concerned about the recent unconfirmed reports of the use of chemical weapons in Mariupol, reported by the media in the last 24 hours,” the organization said in a statement. headquarters in The Hague.