Michael Hernandez
March 11, 2022•Update: March 11, 2022
WASHINGTON
US President Joe Biden issued a stark warning to Russia on Friday, telling the Kremlin it will pay a "severe price" if it carries out a chemical weapons attack in Ukraine.
The US president did not specify what the US response would be, declining to specify if it would be military in nature.
Biden's comments come as the UN Security Council prepares to meet later in the morning in a session called by Russia over its so far unsubstantiated charges that the US has biowarfare labs in Ukraine.
US officials have warned that Russia's allegations are efforts to obfuscate responsibility for a potential chemical attack in Ukraine by Russia. The White House has labeled the allegations "disinformation," and urged the international community to fix its focus on Russia ahead of a possible attack.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki on Wednesday took to Twitter to dismiss the suggestions, saying that the US is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Biological Weapons Convention, adding Washington "does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere."
"It’s Russia that has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law," she said.
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global companies from Russia.
Over 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine in the wake of Russia's invasion. About two million others have been displaced internally within the country, according to UN estimates.
