German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Warns Russia Against Using Chemical Weapons – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, former Vice-Chancellor under Angela Merkel who assumed the position of chancellor in 2021, warned Russia against using chemical weapons in Ukraine during a NATO meeting attended by U.S. President Joe Biden On Thursday.
Warning the country against escalating the war in Ukraine, Scholz said that Russia is at risk of violating all agreements and conventions.
“Should Russia be preparing a false-flag operation in order to use such weapons, this would be in violation of all rules, agreements, and conventions,” Scholz said. “It is our concern not only to point this out but also to warn in the conversations we have: don’t do it.”
Biden Commits to “Respond” to Russian Chemical Weapon Attacks
On March 5, President Joe Biden’s office said that the United States will not fight a war against Russia in Ukraine.
“A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War III. And something we must strive to prevent,” he said.
On Thursday, however, the president warned that the United States would “respond” to any use of chemical weapons by Russian troops in Ukraine, indicating just how close the United States and NATO could be to a full-scale war with Russia.
During a press conference in Brussels, Belgium, the president issued his own warning to Russia against using chemical weapons.
“We would respond, we would respond if he uses it,” Biden said. “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.”
His comments appear to imply that the United States may be willing to take direct military actions against Russia but also implies scalability to the United States’ response. With so many economic sanctions already placed on Russia, and announcements this week that the United States will do more to stop other countries from helping Russia evade sanctions, it’s hard to imagine just what kind of response the Biden White House will make next.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also announced on Thursday that NATO allies have agreed to provide Ukraine with equipment and training to deal with the fallout of a potential Russian chemical or biological weapon attack.
“We are concerned partly because we see the rhetoric and we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext accusing Ukraine, the United States and NATO allies for preparing to use chemical and biological weapons,” he said, adding that NATO forces have previously witnessed Russia accusing other countries of the crimes its military intends to commit as a form of pretext to strike.
“We are also enhancing allies’ preparedness and readiness for chemical, biological and nuclear threats,” Stoltenberg said.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
