‘All options on the table’ if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, UK minister says – POLITICO

“All possible options are on the table” if there is evidence Russia is using chemical weapons in its war against Ukraine, Britain’s Armed Forces Secretary James Heappey said on Tuesday.

“There are reports of the use of chemical weapons that we have not been able to verify ourselves,” Heappey said told Interview with Sky News. “But let’s be clear – if they’re going to be used at all then [Russian] president [Vladimir] Putin should know that all possible options are on the table as to how the West could react.”

That United Kingdom and US announced overnight that they are investigating unconfirmed reports that Russian forces have used chemical weapons in Mariupol, the besieged city in eastern Ukraine. That reports emerged Monday from Ukraine’s controversial Azov Battalion, which said three people showed signs of chemical poisoning, including respiratory problems, after a Russian drone dropped an unknown substance.

Heappey would not go into detail about what options the West would consider, arguing it would be “useful to maintain some ambiguity.” In March Heappey implied that the use of chemical weapons would constitute a so-called red line for the UK

Last month US President Joe Biden warned Russia would pay a “heavy price” if it used chemical weapons.

In his nocturnal address Late Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not confirm the unverified allegations of chemical weapons use in Mariupol, but said: “I would like to remind world leaders that the possible use of chemical weapons by the Russian military has already been discussed. ”