Britain’s armed forces minister has told Sky News that “all options are on the table” following unconfirmed reports of the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
James Heappey made the comments to Sky’s Kay Burley – as foreign secretary Liz Truss said the UK was “working urgently” to check the reports that Russia used chemical agents in the besieged city of Mariupol.
Ms Truss said any confirmed use of such weapons in Mariupol would be a “callous escalation” of the war.
Mr Heappey told Sky News there had been no verification of the reports but warned that Britain and its allies would respond to any deployment by Russia of chemical weapons.
“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 said.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine’s president, used his nightly video address to warn that Russia could deploy outlawed chemical weapons, but he did not say they had already done so.
“We treat this with the utmost seriousness,” he said.
“I would like to remind world leaders that the possible use of chemical weapons by the Russian military has already been discussed.
“And already at that time it meant that it was necessary to react to the Russian aggression much harsher and faster.”
The situation in Ukraine as at 11 April – day 47 of the war
Key developments:
• Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has pleaded for more weapons from the West, particularly for the defence of Mariupol
• Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer met Russian President Vladimir Putin and warned that an offensive in Ukraine’s east was “being prepared on a massive scale”
• Allegations of rape, executions, and other war…
Source : skynews
