WEB DESK
The United Nations Security Council will convene a meeting at Russia’s request. The meeting will be held on Friday. First Deputy Permanent Representative of Russian Mission Dmitry Polyanskiy said in a tweet that his country asked for a meeting of security council to discuss the military biological activities of the US on the territory of Ukraine, Russia repeated its accusation of several years that the United States is working with Ukrainian laboratories to develop biological weapons. Such assertions in Russian media increased in the run-up to Moscow’s military move into Ukraine and were made as recently as Wednesday by foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
However, the United States denied renewed Russian accusations that Washington was operating biological warfare labs in Ukraine, calling the claims “laughable” and suggesting Moscow may be laying the groundwork to use a chemical or biological weapon.
U.S. Mission, spokesperson to the United Nations Olivia Dalton said Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons and has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law and US will not going to let Russia get away with gaslighting.
In a statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price also said Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine.
Like many other countries, Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to mitigate the threats of dangerous diseases affecting both animals and humans. Its laboratories have received support from the United States, European Union and World Health Organization.