US and Russia clash in Security Council over Ukraine bioweapons charge | Abroad

The US ambassador to the United Nations strongly rejected Russia’s allegations. Linda Thomas-Greenfield argued that Russia only convened the Security Council to spread propaganda and disinformation. “Ukraine does not have a biological weapons program. There are no American-funded Ukrainian bioweapons labs.

Thomas-Greenfield also criticized China, which helps “the spread of misinformation with its support for Russia’s outrageous claims.” Chinese media have frequently echoed the Russian allegations this week.

Denial

Senior UN disarmament official Izumi Nakamitsu said the UN also had no guidance for such labs. Ukraine also denies. Ukraine has public health labs, Thomas-Greenfield said. These labs are needed to find and research diseases and viruses such as Covid-19, and have been co-funded with US money for years. The United States does this “with pride and transparency,” Thomas-Greenfield said.

The Russian ambassador to the UN insisted on the allegations that the Russian media have broadcast all week. Vasily Nebenzya spoke of “shocking facts”, but did not provide any evidence. He accused America of funding and running a network of biological weapons research programs. This would happen in thirty different laboratories in Ukraine.

Nebenzya states that Ukraine wanted to transfer anthrax, cholera and plague to Russia via birds and bats. Ukraine would also have used its own population to test these biological weapons. “Ukraine has allowed its land to be turned into a biological laboratory, and its people into guinea pigs.”

‘false flag’

The White House has been warning since this week that Russia itself may be planning a chemical or biological attack in Ukraine. It would be part of a false flag operation, in which the Russians themselves carry out an attack and then blame Ukraine or America. Ukrainian President Zelensky also warned against this. “If you want to know what Russia’s plans are, you have to look at what they accuse others of.”

It was the eighth emergency meeting of the Security Council since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This was Russia’s first request.