FILE PHOTO: The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 1, 2022. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri
The United Nations on Friday said it had no evidence Ukraine had a biological weapons program while Washington and its allies accused Russia of spreading the unproven claim as a possible prelude to launching its own biological or chemical attacks.
Russia called the meeting of the 15-member U.N. Security Council to reassert through its envoy Vassily Nebenzia, without providing evidence, that Ukraine ran biological weapons laboratories with U.S. Defense Department support.
Member countries called the claim 鈥渁 lie鈥� and 鈥渦tter nonsense鈥� and used the session to accuse Russia of deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians in Ukraine, assertions that Russia denies in a 15-day offensive it calls 鈥渁 special military operation.鈥�
Izumi Nakamitsu, the U.N. High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the council the United Nations is 鈥渘ot aware鈥� of any biological weapons program in Ukraine, which joined an international ban on such arms, as have Russia and the United States along with 180 other countries.
Under a 2005 agreement, the Pentagon has assisted several Ukrainian public health laboratories with improving the security of dangerous pathogens and technology used to research. Those efforts have been supported by other countries and the World Health Organization.
The WHO told Reuters on Thursday that it had advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in its public health laboratories to prevent 鈥渁ny potential spills鈥� that would spread disease among the population.
The U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Washington was 鈥渄eeply concerned鈥� that Russia called the session as a 鈥渇alse flag effort鈥� to lay the groundwork for its own use of biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Although she provided no evidence of an imminent Russian threat during the meeting, she said: 鈥淩ussia has a track record of falsely accusing other countries of the very violations that Russia itself is perpetrating.鈥�
She added: 鈥淲e have serious concerns that Russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the Ukrainian people.
鈥淭he intent behind these lies seems clear, and it is deeply troubling,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e believe Russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations, as part of a staged or false flag incident, or to support tactical military operations.鈥�
Russia cites US 2003 Iraq assertions
Responding to Thomas-Greenfield鈥檚 statement, Nebenzia recalled then-U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell鈥檚 2003 Security Council testimony when he presented what Washington claimed was proof that Iraq was hiding banned weapons of mass destruction programs.
The United States used the assertion, which turned out to be false, to justify its 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
Answering the Russian envoy, Thomas-Greenfield said: 鈥淚 know that you expect me to respond but we鈥檙e not going to give any more airtime to the lies that you鈥檙e hearing today.鈥�
U.S. allies echoed Thomas-Greenfield鈥檚 concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 government was spreading the claim of a U.S.-backed bioweapons program in Ukraine to prepare its own chemical or biological attacks in Ukraine.
鈥淭he council should not be served with fantasies or starry-eyed stories, but with proof independently verified and collaborated,鈥� said Ferit Hoxha, the ambassador of NATO member Albania.
鈥淲e should therefore be very worried that in spreading such disinformation, a crescendo of allegations about weapons of mass destruction could serve as yet another pretext for Russia to prepare the ground and use chemical or biological weapons during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine,鈥� he said.
French Ambassador Nicholas de Riviere noted, as did several other envoys, that Russia allegedly used a nerve agent in failed attempts to kill jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and a former Russian intelligence officer, Sergei Skripal, who defected to Britain, and his daughter.
Russia denies these allegations.
Speaking to reporters earlier on Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden warned Russia that it would pay a 鈥渟evere price鈥� if its military should use chemical weapons against Ukraine.
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