JAKARTA - The United Nations (UN) on Friday said it had no evidence, Ukraine had a biological weapons program, while Washington and its allies accused Russia of spreading unproven claims as an early possibility to launch a biological or chemical attack of its own.
Russia called for the 15-member UN Security Council meeting to reaffirm through its envoy Vassily Nebenzia, without providing evidence, that Ukraine is running a biological weapons laboratory with the support of the United States Department of Defense.
Member states called the claims "lies and nonsense", using the session to accuse Russia of deliberately targeting and killing hundreds of civilians in Ukraine, a statement Russia denies in a 15-day offensive it calls special military operations.
Izumi Nakamitsu, UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, told the council the UN was "not aware" of a biological weapons program in Ukraine, which joins an international ban on such weapons, as did Russia and the United States along with 180 other countries.
Meanwhile, under the 2005 agreement, the Pentagon has assisted several Ukrainian public health laboratories by enhancing the safety of dangerous pathogens and the technology used for research. These efforts have been supported by other countries and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO told Reuters on Thursday it had advised Ukraine to destroy high-threat pathogens housed in its public health laboratories, to prevent any potential spills that would spread disease among the population.
The US envoy to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said Washington was deeply concerned about Russia calling the session a "false flag attempt" to lay the groundwork for its own use of biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine.
While she did not provide evidence of an imminent Russian threat during the meeting, she said: "Russia has a wrong track record of accusing other countries of Russia's own abuses."
"We have serious concerns that Russia may be planning to use chemical or biological agents against the Ukrainian people," she said.
"The intent behind this lie is clear, and it is deeply troubling. We believe Russia could use a chemical or biological agent for assassination, as part of a staged incident or false flag, or to support tactical military operations," Thomas-Greenfield said.
Responding to Thomas-Greenfield's remarks, Nebenzia recalled when then US Secretary of State Colin Powell, presented what Washington claimed was evidence that Iraq hid banned weapons of its 2003 mass destruction program.
The United States used that statement, which turned out to be false, to justify the 2003 US invasion of Iraq.
"I know that you expect me to respond, but we are not going to give any more airtime to the lies you heard today," Thomas-Greenfield said in response to the Russian envoy.
A US ally echoing Thomas-Greenfield's concerns, the government of Russian President Vladimir Putin is spreading claims of a US-backed biological weapons program in Ukraine to prepare for its own chemical or biological attack on Ukraine.
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"The council should not be presented with fantasy or star stories, but with independently verified and collaborated evidence," said Ferit Hoxha, ambassador to NATO member Albania.
"Therefore, we should be very concerned that in spreading such disinformation, excessive accusations of weapons of mass destruction could become another pretext for Russia to prepare the ground and use chemical or biological weapons during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine," he said.
Separately, speaking to reporters on Friday, US President Joe Biden warned Russia would pay a "high price" if its military used chemical weapons against Ukraine.
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