Ukrainian officials on Monday night issued their first allegations of chemical weapon use by Russia during the war in their country.
The U.S. and other world powers have not been able to confirm the reports of chemical weapons in the city of Mariupol, but have been warning for weeks that they were a possibility.
Since the beginning of the invasion, Russia has refused to take using chemical weapons off the table, though Western nations see their deployment as severe escalation.
Here are five things to know about the lead up to chemical weapons allegations against Russia:
- NATO said a chemical attack would violate international law
Towards the end of last month, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine would be a “a blatant and brutal violation of international law.”
Stoltenberg warned at the time Ukraine would not be the first place Russia used chemical weapons amid conflict.
“At the same time we know that Russia has used chemical agents in Europe before, against their own political opponents and Russia has been facilitating and supporting the Assad regime in Syria, where chemical weapons has been used,” he said.
- White House created team to respond to chemical weapons in Ukraine
Almost three weeks ago, the White House announced the creation of a team that would be working to prepare consequences for Russia if it used chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The “Tiger team” was set to create contingency plans for multiple different situations coming out of the Ukraine war, including chemical weapons.
The team will prepare the Biden’s administration’s response to the war for the next three months while analyzing long-term “major geo-political shifts that are occurring as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.”
The team was created after President Biden said chemical weapons usage was a “real threat” and Russia would pay a “severe price” for it.
- World Health Organization has prepared 1,500 workers for chemical attack
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it has prepared 1,500 health workers in Ukraine with guidelines if a chemical attack occurs.
“WHO is considering all scenarios and making contingencies for different situations that could afflict the people of Ukraine, from the continued treatment of mass casualties, to chemical assaults,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Henri Kluge said earlier this month.
WHO’s incident manager in Ukraine, Heather Papowitz, said there are “chemical hazards throughout the country and these can be affected by the war and can be hit by different assault.”
- NATO has pledged to ‘respond proportionately’
A NATO official said last month the alliance would have to “respond proportionately” if Russia deployed chemical weapons against Ukraine.
NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana did not say what actions NATO would take, but that chemical weapons would “fundamentally” change the war.
“If they will be using chemical weapons or other kinds of higher-end systems against Ukraine, this will be changing fundamentally the nature of the war that Mr. Putin has waged against Ukraine,” Geoana said. “I can guarantee that NATO is ready to respond proportionately.”
NATO has provided weapons to Ukraine but has worked to not get directly involved in the fighting.
- Zelensky calls for oil embargo after reports of chemical weapons used
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an address Monday that Western countries should put an oil embargo on Russia after reports of chemical weapons use.
Zelensky said any further actions against Russia from Western countries that don’t include an oil embargo would be a win for Moscow.
The U.S. has instituted a Russian energy ban, but Europe is far more reliant on its oil and gas and has so far declined to take such a move.
Zelensky said in the same speech Ukraine is taking the threats of chemical weapons “very seriously.”
“One of the Russian occupiers’ speakers said that they might use chemical weapons against our defenders in Mariupol,” Zelensky said. “We take it very seriously.”