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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 14 March 2022
Continued from Front with Ukraine. The official China has seemingly en-
"But what I will tell you is did not provide details on dorsed this propaganda,
we are communicating di- the scope of the request. we should all be on the
rectly and privately to Bei- The request was first report- lookout for Russia to possi-
jing that there absolutely ed by The Washington Post. bly use chemical or biologi-
will be consequences" if The White House said the cal weapons in Ukraine, or
China helps Russia "backfill" talks will focus on the di- to create a false flag op-
its losses from the sanctions. rect impact of Russia's war eration using them," Psaki
"We will not allow that to go against Ukraine on regional tweeted last week. "It's a
forward and allow there to and global security. clear pattern."
be a lifeline to Russia from Biden administration offi- Sullivan told "Face the Na-
these economic sanctions cials say Beijing is spread- tion" on CBS that the Rus-
from any country anywhere Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, speaks at the open- ing false Russian claims that sian rhetoric on chemical
in the world," he said. ing session of US-China talks at the Captain Cook Hotel in An- Ukraine was running chemi- and biological warfare is
A U.S. official, speaking on chorage, Alaska, March 18, 2021. Associated Press cal and biological weap- "an indicator that, in fact,
condition of anonymity to ons labs with U.S. support. the Russians are getting
discuss sensitive matters, Russia had requested sup- military equipment, to press They say China is effective- ready to do it and try and
said that in recent days, port from China, including forward in its ongoing war ly providing cover if Russia pin the blame elsewhere
moves ahead with a bio- and nobody should fall for
logical or chemical weap- that."
ons attack on Ukrainians. The international commu-
When Russia starts accus- nity for years has assessed
ing other countries of pre- that Russia has used chemi-
paring to launch biological cal weapons in carrying
or chemical attacks, Sul- out assassination attempts
livan told NBC's "Meet the against Putin detractors
Press," "it's a good tell that such as Alexei Navalny and
they may be on the cusp of former spy Sergei Skripal.
doing it themselves." Russia also supports the
Pentagon spokesman John Assad government in Syria,
Kirby, on ABC's "This Week," which has used chemical
said "we haven't seen any- weapons against its people
thing that indicates some in a decade-long civil war.
sort of imminent chemical Testifying before the Senate
or biological attack right Intelligence Committee on
now, but we're watching Thursday, CIA Director Wil-
this very, very closely." liam Burns also noted grave
The striking U.S. accusations concern that Russia might
about Russian disinforma- be laying the groundwork
tion and Chinese complic- for a chemical or biologi-
ity came after Russian For- cal attack of its own, which
eign Ministry spokeswoman it would then blame on the
Maria Zakharova alleged U.S. or Ukraine in a false flag
with no evidence that the operation.
U.S. was financing Ukrai- "This is something, as all of
nian chemical and biologi- you know very well, is very
cal weapons labs. much a part of Russia's
The Russian claim was playbook," he said. "They've
echoed by Chinese for- used these weapons
eign ministry spokesman against their own citizens,
Zhao Lijian, who claimed they've at least encour-
there were 26 bio-labs and aged the use in Syria and
related facilities in "which elsewhere, so it's something
the U.S. Department of De- we take very seriously."
fense has absolute control." China has been one of few
The United Nations has said countries to avoid criticiz-
it has received no informa- ing the Russians for its in-
tion backing up such accu- vasion of Ukraine. China's
sations. Xi Jinping hosted Putin for
White House press secre- the opening of the Win-
tary Jen Psaki called the ter Olympics in Beijing,
claims "preposterous." just weeks before Russia
"Now that Russia has made launched the Feb. 24 inva-
these false claims, and sion. q
