President Biden on Thursday pledged that the U.S. will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine, but its response depends on the situation.
Speaking at the NATO summit in Belgium, Mr. Biden declined to provide intelligence about the potential threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin deploying a chemical weapon in Ukraine. But he said any move would not go unchecked.
“We would respond if [Mr. Putin] uses it,” he said. “The nature of the response would depend on the nature of use.”
When asked if the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine would spark a response from NATO, Mr. Biden said the alliance would make a decision at the time.
Earlier Thursday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance will beef up its defenses against chemical and nuclear weapons as fears rise that Russia could deploy such measures.
“Our top military commander General Walters has activated NATO’s chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear defense elements, and allies are deploying additional chemical and biological and nuclear defenses to reinforce our existing and new backing groups,” Mr. Stoltenberg said at the NATO summit that was convened to plot a response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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