Senior administration officials said on Thursday that the White House has formed a team of experts to plan how the US would respond if Russia used weapons of mass destruction – chemical, biological, or nuclear – during its invasion of Ukraine.
As it battles to defeat Ukraine’s military in a month-long conflict that the Russian government refers to as a “special operation,” Russia has frequently raised the danger of deploying nuclear weapons. The Kremlin announced last week that such weapons would only be utilized in the event of an “existential danger.”
Russian assertions that Ukraine would use chemical weapons are a falsehood, according to US officials, and an indicator that Moscow may use them in the future, given historical practice.
Officials said the White House National Security Council sent an internal memo to agencies on Feb. 28 to form a strategy group to look at key geopolitical shifts caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A second group, dubbed the “Tiger Team” internally, is planning out the following three months.
One US official said the strategy group is trying to “watch and manage dangers while exploring ways to advance and defend US interests.”
According to the official, the teams are preparing contingency plans for a variety of scenarios, including Russia’s potential use of chemical or biological weapons, the targeting of US security convoys, global food supply chain disruptions, and the continuous response to the expanding refugee crisis.
According to the official, the teams are also looking into Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons.
The official would not speculate on how the US would respond if Russia used weapons of mass destruction, but he did state that a response would be forthcoming.
On CNN, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby stated that the United States must plan for the worst-case scenario.
“We haven’t seen any evidence that the Russians are willing to use WMDs within Ukraine. There would be a big reaction if that happened “Kirby stated that the US and the international community both have a role to play.
On Thursday in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed fears that Russia is attempting to create a justification for its own operations by accusing Ukraine and its allies of using chemical weapons. He added the claims are a justification for Russia to do the same, echoing US officials.
President Joe Biden, who is in Brussels for urgent discussions with NATO and European leaders, will discuss the possibility of Russia using nuclear weapons, according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Biden will also discuss chemical and biological weapons with the allies, according to State Department spokesperson Ned Price.
“We’ve tried to be extremely clear about the seriousness of using chemical weapons of any kind. These are agents that should never be used, and especially not on the battlefield, as Russia is suspected of doing “he stated
