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Biden says Nato ‘will respond in kind’ if Putin uses chemical weapons
Joe Biden said Nato will “respond in kind” if Vladimir Putin uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Speaking after a Nato meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the US president added: “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use”.
Mr Biden said Nato was “more united” than it had ever been as the alliance agreed to double its defences by moving 40,000 troops to its eastern flank in light of the Russian invasion.
He said Mr Putin had underestimated the “cohesion” of western countries.
Earlier today, Jens Stoltenberg, Nato’s secretary general, confirmed four new battlegroups will be sent to Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania – in addition to four others in the Baltic countries and Poland.
He also pledged military aid, including additional weapons. It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, via video link, asked for “1 per cent” of Western allies’ weapons.
Following the meeting, Nato leaders announced they had also agreed to supply hazmat suits to Ukrainians amid growing concerns Russian president Vladimir Putin may use chemical and biological weapons.
3,343 evacuations from Ukraine cities today
ICYMI: A total of 3,343 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors today, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said, down from 4,554 yesterday.
Ms Vereshchuk said in an online post that 2,717 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol. She accused the Russians of blocking humanitarian aid convoys into the city for the last three days.
Around 7 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced since the war started one month ago today, according to the World Health Organisation. A further 3.6 million have fled the country.
Graeme Massie25 March 2022 01:24
Joe Biden says Nato would respond ‘in kind’ to Russian use of chemical weapons
Joe Biden says that Nato would respond “in kind” if Vladimir Putin used chemical weapons in his unprovoked assault on Ukraine.
The president spoke after a day of summits in Belgium with Nato allies, the European Union and G7 partners.
Graeme Massie25 March 2022 01:02
Russian troops using rape as ‘instrument of war’, claims Ukraine’s prosecutor general
Russian troops are allegedly using rape “as an instrument of war”, with the Ukrainian prosecutor general accusing invading soldiers of breaking into a home near Kyiv before shooting dead a Ukrainian man and then sexually assaulting his wife.
Rory Sullivan has the story.
Graeme Massie25 March 2022 00:45
Russian state TV anchor appears to blame Ukrainians for devastation in Mariupol
ICYMI: A Russian state media journalist has appeared to blame Ukrainian “nationalists” for the destruction of Mariupol, a city which has been relentlessly bombed by Moscow.
“Sad scenes, of course… the [Ukrainian] nationalists withdraw trying not to leave a stone unturned,” the anchor said.
Graeme Massie25 March 2022 00:26
‘We all stay united and pray for peace’: How tech startup with Ukrainian and Russian staff is navigating conflict
Jacob Udodov speaks to The Independent about trying to keep Bordio staff safe and employed amid the violence of war.
Graeme Massie25 March 2022 00:16
New footage of damage inflicted on Mariupol
ICYMI: New drone footage shows the scale of damage Russian shelling has inflicted on Mariupol.
The southeastern port city has been bombed for a month, with tens of thousands of civilians struggling with a lack of food, water and heating.
Graeme Massie24 March 2022 23:56
US military leaders have tried calling Russian counterparts but calls not taken, raising fears of ‘sleepwalking’ into war
ICYMI: Lines of communication between top US Defense Department officials and their Russian counterparts have gone dark since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last month, placing the world’s two nuclear superpowers in jeopardy of mischaracterising each other’s troop movements and drilling with potentially disastrous consequences.
According to the Washington Post, both General Mark Milley — the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have repeatedly tried arranging conversations with their opposite numbers in Moscow, General Valery Gerasimov and defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
In a statement, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said neither Russian official had accepted the invitations and had instead “so far declined to engage”.
US military leaders have tried calling Russian counterparts but calls not taken
Lines of communication between top US Defense Department officials and their Russian counterparts have gone dark since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine last month, placing the world’s two nuclear superpowers in jeopardy of mischaracterising each other’s troop movements and drilling with potentially disastrous consequences.
Graeme Massie24 March 2022 23:31
Nato will respond ‘in kind’ if Putin uses chemical weapons
Joe Biden said Nato would “respond in kind” if Vladimir Putin were to resort to the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Speaking after a Nato meeting in Brussels on Thursday, the US president warned a chemical attack by Russia “would trigger a response in kind”.
He added: “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use”.
A White House official said later that Mr Biden’s comments did not imply any shift in the US position against direct military action by Nato in Ukraine.
Mr Biden and Nato allies have stressed that the alliance would not put troops on the ground in Ukraine.
Mr Biden two days ago said there was a “clear sign” Mr Putin was preparing to use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine as his invasion struggles to make ground.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of preparing chemical weapons, in what has seen by some analysts as a “false flag” attempt to justify later Russian use of the outlawed arms.
Liam James24 March 2022 23:02
US sanctions Russian, North Korean and Chinese entities over weapons proliferation
The US has imposed sanctions on five entities and individuals in Russia, North Korea and China for violating a US weapons proliferation law, the State Department said.
The 1999 Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act gave the US power to sanction foreign individuals, bodies and governments for transferring material that could be used to develop weapons of mass destruction or cruise or ballistic missiles to any of the three countries named.
Sanctions under the act are brought fairly often. Eight individuals and entities from Iraq, Russia and Syria were sanctioned last July, with two other rounds of sanctions earlier in the year.
Liam James24 March 2022 22:40
More than half of Ukraine’s children now displaced, says Unicef
More than half of Ukrainian children have been displaced by Putin’s war, Unicef has said.
Catherine Russell, Unicef’s executive director, confirmed the grim milestone:
Rory Sullivan24 March 2022 21:00
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