White House warns Russia may seek to use chemical weapons in Ukraine

The United States on Wednesday rejected Russian claims that it supports a bioweapons program in Ukraine, saying the allegations were a sign that Moscow could soon use the weapons themselves.

“The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine," State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement.

“Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine."

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the claims were “preposterous" and noted that “we’ve also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories."