NATO chief says Russia may use chemical weapons: ‘We must remain vigilant’

The West dismissed the Russian claims of dangerous experiments in Ukraine's biological laboratories as a false pretext for the possible use of chemical agents.

NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg on Sunday warned that Russia was inventing false pretexts to possibly use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, the chief of West's military alliance said that the absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine might be used by Kremlin as a false pretext to justify what would be a war crime.

The UN Security Council met at Russia's request to discuss Russia's claim of U.S.-supported chemical and biological weapon labs in Ukraine. (AFP)

"In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories," Stoltenberg was quoted by Welt am Sonntag as saying.

"Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself could plan chemical weapons operations under this fabrication of lies. That would be a war crime," he added.

The NATO chief predicted greater hardship for Ukrainians in the coming days despite their courageous resistance amid armed aggression by Russia.

At a UN Security Council meeting convened on Friday following Kremlin's request, Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said its defence ministry had documents proving that Ukraine has at least 30 biological laboratories carrying out “very dangerous biological experiments”. The envoy claimed that the experiments are "being done and funded and supervised by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the United States."

“The intent behind these lies seems clear, and is deeply troubling,” US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield. “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.”