*US runs 30 biological laboratories of “very dangerous biological experiments” in Ukraine – Russia
*Claims of biological weapons programme in Ukraine fabricated, disinformation – United States
*Investigate Russia’s accusations against US’ biological weapons programme – China
United States of America’s President Joe Biden says he has moved 12,000 troops along the borders with Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania while asserting that Vladimir Putin will not be victorious in the war he has waged against Ukraine.
Biden made this disclosure while addressing members of the House Democratic Caucus on Friday, stressing his position over “not fighting a third World War in Ukraine” but avowed sending an “unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory”.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a group of 30 North American and European nations.
According to NATO, its purpose “is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means.”
Biden said the people of Ukraine have demonstrated remarkable bravery and courage in the face of a Russian military offensive but the security assistance that the US provides has been critical in their defence.
“And as we provide support to Ukraine, we’re going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory with a united galvanized NATO,” the US president said.
“That’s why I’ve moved 12,000 American forces along the borders with Russia — Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania et cetra. Granted, if we respond, it is World War three. But we have a sacred obligation on NATO territory. Although we will not fight a third World War in Ukraine.”
On February 24, Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine’s breakaway regions — Donetsk and Luhansk — as independent entities.
“The idea that we’re going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand — and don’t kid yourself, no matter what you all say — that’s called World War Three,” he said.
The US President said he and alliance spent hours together — the EU, NATO and including all those in Asia.
“As a result, we’ve been able to ramp up our economic pressure on Putin and further isolate Russia on the global stage,” he said.
Biden said the G7 nations — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States — made a move to remove the favored nation status for Russia.
He claimed that as a result of the US-led sanctions, the economy of Russia is badly impacted.
“The totality of our economic sanctions and export controls are crushing the Russian economy. The Ruble has lost more than half its value.
“Moscow Stock Exchange is closed. Why is it closed? Because the moment it opens, it will be disbanded. Credit rating agencies have downgraded Russia’s government to junk status,” Biden said.
He said that democracies are rising to the moment rallying the world for peace and security.
“We are showing strength and we will never falter. Putin’s war against Ukraine will never be a victory.
“I want to thank you for showing a unified front to the world. When Putin unleashed his assault, he thought he could divide NATO.
“He thought he could divide this country in terms of the parties. He thought he could divide Democrats and Republicans at home, but he failed,” Biden told the members of the House Democratic Caucus.
The United States accused Russia of using a UN Security Council meeting Friday for “lying and spreading disinformation” as part of a potential false-flag operation by Moscow for the use of chemical or biological agents in Ukraine.
US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was playing out a scenario put forth in the council last month by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, that President Vladimir Putin would “fabricate allegations about chemical or biological weapons to justify its own violent attacks against the Ukrainian people.”
“The intent behind these lies seems clear, and is deeply troubling,” she said.
“We believe Russia could use chemical or biological agents for assassinations, as part of a staged or false-flag incident, or to support tactical military operations.”
The United States has warned about such Russian operations in conjunction with an invasion, which began February 24.
Russia had requested the meeting to address its allegations of US “biological activities” in Ukraine — a charge made without any evidence and denied by both Washington and Kyiv.
Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said its Defense Ministry had documents charging that Ukraine has at least 30 biological laboratories carrying out “very dangerous biological experiments” involving pathogens, and its work “is being done and funded and supervised by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the United States.
“Ukraine does have a network of biological labs that have gotten funding and research support from the US, but they are owned and operated by Ukraine and are part of an initiative called the Biological Threat Reduction Program that aims to reduce the likelihood of deadly outbreaks, whether natural or manmade.”
The US efforts date back to work in the 1990s to dismantle the former Soviet Union’s program for weapons of mass destruction.
“The labs are not secret,” said Filippa Lentzos, a senior lecturer in science and international security at King’s College London, in an email to the Associated Press.
“They are not being used in relation to bioweapons. This is all disinformation.”
China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun, however believed, expressed concern at the Russia’s accusations against the United States’ biological weapons programme in Ukraine and urged an investigation to “provide a comprehensive clarification and accept a multilateral verification.”
Instead of toeing the line of suggested investigation as moved by China, Britain’s Woodward said the Security Council must not be “an audience for Russia’s domestic propaganda” and must remain focused on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian request for the Security Council meeting came from its first deputy UN ambassador, Dmitry Polyansky.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova had made the accusation earlier this week.
