UK says ‘all options on the table’ if Russia used chemical weapons in Ukraine

By Muhammad Mussa

LONDON (AA) – The British government on Tuesday warned Russia of the consequences of using chemical weapons after unconfirmed reports that such weapons have been used in Ukraine.

In an interview with Sky News, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said “all options are on the table” and that the UK and its allies would respond to any use of chemical weapons by Russian forces in Ukraine.

“We know that there are reports of the use of chemical weapons, we have not been able to verify those ourselves and indeed the Ukrainian system are only referring to the fact that there are reports they themselves haven’t yet been able to confirm to us that they have been used,” Heappey said.

“Let’s be clear, if they are used at all then President Putin should know that all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond,” he added.

Heappey said that US President Joe Biden as well as French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson were aware of the unconfirmed reports of chemical weapons use in Ukraine and highlighted the shared concern between the UK and its allies.

On Monday evening, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the government was working to verify details and reports of a chemical weapons attack and that the use of such weapons would signal a major escalation of the nearly two-month war.

“Reports that Russian forces may have used chemical agents in an attack on the people of Mariupol. We are working urgently with partners to verify details,” Truss said on Twitter.

“Any use of such weapons would be a callous escalation in this conflict and we will hold Putin and his regime to account,” she added.

- Reports of chemical weapons use

An unconfirmed report from a Ukrainian battalion stationed in the besieged eastern port city of Mariupol claimed that Russian forces, through the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle, deployed a poisonous substance over the city. There have been independent verifications of this claim.

On Monday, the British Defense Ministry raised concerns over the use of chemical weapons by Russian forces in Mariupol.

After analyzing Russian operations in the eastern regions of the country and in particular in the Donetsk oblast, where the UK Defense Ministry said chemical weapons such as phosphorus gas had already been used by Russian forces, Downing Street has raised concerns over its deployment in Mariupol to enforce a Russian victory.

The Defense Ministry also warned of the use of unguided bombs by Moscow that greatly increases the risk of civilian casualties as in Ukraine's eastern Kramatorsk city last week in which hundreds of civilians were killed in a rocket attack on a train station.

“Russia’s continued reliance on unguided bombs decreases their ability to discriminate when targeting and conducting strikes while greatly increasing the risk of further civilian casualties.”

At least 1,892 civilians have been killed and 2,558 injured in Ukraine since Russia declared war on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be much higher.

Over 4.6 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.