Britain Defence Minister James Heappey talked about the chances of Russia using chemical weapons, he said “We know that there are reports of the use of chemical weapons. We have not been able to verify those ourselves, and indeed the Ukrainian system, as you’ve seen from President Zelensky, are only referring to the fact that there are reports, they themselves haven’t yet been able to confirm to us that they have been used.”
“I think it’s useful to maintain some ambiguity.. over exactly what the response would be, but let’s be clear, if they are used at all then president Putin should know that all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond,” he added.
Russia launched a war on Ukraine on February 24. However, according to the latest updates, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky voiced concerns that Russian forces could use chemical weapons in Ukraine but did not confirm whether they had been used in his daily video address late on Monday. Earlier on Monday evening, Ukrainian authorities claimed Russia dropped a drone carrying a toxic substance on the south-eastern city of Mariupol. However, more than 10,000 civilians have died in Mariupol, the city’s mayor has said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities are warning people not to go near what they say are landmines being dropped on Kharkiv.