Brussels, Thursday, 24 March 2022
On Thursday, the G7 group of major economic countries warned Russia against using weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine.
Following a conference in Brussels, the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a unified statement warning against any threat of the use of chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons or similar materials.
They emphasised, "We recall Russia's obligations under international treaties to which it is a signatory."
Following the conference, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the current chair of the G7 group, warned reporters that Western nations are afraid that Russia could use such weapons to stage "false flag" operations.
"Russia has made repeated claims that Ukraine is developing biological and chemical weapons, or that others are. None of these statements are correct "he stated.
"However, one must evaluate them and make preparations for possible false flag operations," he continued.
The leaders of the G7 countries issued a united statement calling on Russia to immediately cease military activities and withdraw its forces from Ukraine's entire territory.
The leaders promised to rigorously implement the economic and financial penalties already in place on Moscow, but no new sanctions on Russian oil and gas were announced.
(Report by: The Decision Maker – International Relations editors in Brussels)