US warns of 'false flag' chemical weapon attack on Ukraine amid Russia's invasion threats

As the tension between Moscow and Kyiv remains far from reaching a resolution, the US has warned of a provocative "false" chemical weapon attack by Russia before it invaded Ukraine in the "coming days." Addressing the UN Security Council (UNSC) briefing, on Saturday, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he believed Russian President Vladimir Putin "will start an invasion by creating an excuse to attack." Delving into the possible "fabricated" excuse, he said the aggression could be "fake- even a real- attack using chemical weapons."

"Russia plans to manufacture a pretext for its attack...We don't know exactly the formal take. It could be fabricated so-called terrorist bombings inside Russia, the inventor discovery of the mass grave, stage drone strike against civilians, or a fake- even a real- attack using chemical weapons," US State Secretary Antony Blinken said in his statement.

"Russia may describe this event as ethnic cleansing or a genocide, making a mockery of a concept that we in this chamber do not take lightly, nor do I do take lightly based on my family history," he added.

Blinken also gave the fullest account of what Washington understood of Russian plans and urged Russia to immediately revoked military concentration from Ukraine's borders. He also demanded Moscow to adhere to the Minsk Agreement, an accord negotiated in presence of France and Germany, signed in 2015 between Russia and Ukraine to sustain peace and security. "Minsk Agreement...must remain in the basis for the peace process to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine," he said. This came after Russia ramped up its aggressive approach towards Ukraine after days of refuting claims of posing threat to Kyiv's sovereignty.

Russia demands all weapons from Central and Eastern Europe be removed

Leaving little hope for diplomacy, Russia on Friday handed out a lengthy document to the US ambassador in Moscow, demanding immediate withdrawal of US deployments of weapons and troops from central and eastern borders of Europe, and the Baltics region. Further asking Washington to pull off ammunition supplies to Ukraine, Russia also reiterated security demands that Ukraine is expelled from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). In the document, Russia also accused Washington of delivering a constructive response to the draft 8-point security guarantees proposed in December, including expansion of NATO along the eastern European flank.

US ignoring Russian 'red line', says Moscow

Accusing US to blindside Russia's "red lines," Kremlin ousted the US Deputy ambassador to Moscow. The move prompted US President Joe Biden to assert that Russia is ready to invade Kyiv "in a matter of days." Speaking at a press conference in the White House on February 18, Biden also condemned the amplified mortar shelling in the anti-Ukraine-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, saying that there is simply no evidence of de-escalation as asserted by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Biden also accused Russian media of making "phony allegations" of genocide in Donbas to push "fabricated" claims in a bid to attack Ukraine.

For the unversed, over the past few months, Russia has amassed more than 1,50,000 troops around Ukraine borders, including occupied Crimea. Recently, it has also amplified its weapons concentration in the region further beginning strategic nuclear exercises under President Putin's watch. Meanwhile, the West has continued to engage in last-ditch efforts to ensure Russia draws down its aggressive behaviour. Last week, Putin had claimed that he had called back an "unspecified" number of forces from Donbas, a claim that is being highly questioned by the West in the wake of escalated military shelling in the anti-Ukraine controlled regions.

(Image: AP)