FILE PHOTO: Russia鈥檚 Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends the annual news conference of acting Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January 17, 2020. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
LONDON 鈥� Russia demanded on Wednesday that the United States explain to the world why it had supported what Moscow cast as a military biological program in Ukraine.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova demanded transparency from Washington over the allegation, which is denied by Kyiv and which a Pentagon spokesman has described as absurd.
鈥淲e confirm facts, unearthed as part of the special military operations, which testify to an emergency attempt to erase evidence of military biological programs,鈥� Zakharova told reporters.
鈥淲e are not talking here about peaceful uses or scientific goals,鈥� Zakharova said. 鈥淲hat were you up to there?鈥�
鈥淭hese (programs) were financed by the U.S. Department of Defense.鈥�
In response to earlier Russian allegations about the purported military biological program in Ukraine, a Pentagon spokesman said on Tuesday: 鈥淭his absurd Russian misinformation is patently false.鈥�
A Ukrainian presidential spokesperson said: 鈥淯kraine strictly denies any such allegation.鈥�
At her briefing, Zakharova said: 鈥淭he U.S. Defense Department and the presidential administration of the United States are obliged to officially explain to the global community, officially, not through talking heads, about the programs in Ukraine.鈥�
鈥淲e demand details,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e demand and the world awaits.鈥�
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