NATO will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, Biden said: Report 26Mar 2022

NATO will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, Biden said

US President Joe Biden has said that NATO will “respond” if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.

The president – who is in Europe for talks with allies – did not say what that might mean.

His remarks came on an unprecedented day of emergency summit in Brussels, where Western leaders showed a united front against Russia’s aggression.

Mr Biden is traveling on Friday to Poland, where more than two million Ukrainians have fled the fighting.

Asked whether Russia’s use of chemical weapons by Vladimir Putin would prompt a military response from NATO, Mr Biden replied that it would “trigger a response of sorts”.

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“If he uses it, we will respond. The nature of the response will depend on the nature of the use,” he said.

Western countries have warned that Russia may prepare to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as its invasion of the country enters its fifth week.

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said it would be “catastrophic” if Mr Putin used chemical weapons, while NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clarified there would be dire consequences.

The White House has set up a national security team to see how the US and allies should react if Russia launches a chemical attack. But there is no suggestion that NATO will respond using chemical weapons, says the BBC’s US editor Sarah Smith.

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Mr Biden has previously insisted the US and NATO will not send troops to Ukraine for fear of a direct military confrontation with Russia.

The president was speaking after an emergency meeting of NATO leaders on how to respond to the possible use of weapons of mass destruction as well as military aid to Ukraine and tougher sanctions on Moscow.

“The most important thing is for us to stay united,” the president said after the summit.

Mr Biden is expected to announce a major deal with the European Union on liquefied natural gas, in an effort to reduce Europe’s dependence on Russian energy.

The agreement would allow Washington to provide the EU with at least 15 billion additional cubic meters of fuel by the end of the year.

Four new NATO battle groups are being deployed in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria.

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The president also said that he would support the call for Russia’s expulsion from the G20 grouping of wealthy countries. But he said it would depend on the views of other members.

After a meeting with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on Friday morning, Mr Biden will leave for Poland. The president will travel to the city of Razzo, close to the border with Ukraine, where he will meet with Ukrainian refugees.

Mr Biden has announced that the US will take up to 100,000 Ukrainians and provide an additional $1bn (£756m) in food, medicine, water and other supplies.

More than 3.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, including more than 2.1 million in Poland.

Mr Biden will also visit US troops who have recently been stationed there.

NATO will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, Biden said

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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)