“All options are on the table” for the West’s reaction if Russia employs chemical weapons
Britain’s junior Armed Forces minister said Tuesday that “All options are on the table” for how the West will respond if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine.
This comes as unverified reports of a possible strike involving a chemical substance in the Ukrainian port city if Mariupol occurred Monday, which the UK has been unable to confirm, James Heappey told Sky News.
“I think it’s useful to maintain some ambiguity […] over exactly what the response would be, but let’s be clear, if they are used at all, then [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin should know that all possible options are on the table in terms of how the West might respond,” Heappey stated.
It would be an “effective” and “well considered” response, he added.
Nexus News is yet to gather proof of such an attack, or any images from Mariupol sources to ascertain this.
“These are appalling weapons to even think about using,” Heappey said.
“That they are part of the discussion is sobering. There are some things that are beyond the pale, and the use of chemical weapons will get a response, and all options are on the table for what that response could be.”
He warned: “But it’s important to recognize that there are all sorts of ways in which these things could be used, from the use of tear gas which is effectively a riot control measure all the way through to utterly devastating lethal chemical weapons systems.
“So I don’t think it’s helpful to be too binary about the situation because these are highly nuanced.”
According to Heappey, some Ukrainian armies will be arriving in the UK in the coming days to learn how to operate 120 British armored vehicles that will be sent to Ukraine, along with defense and anti-tank missiles as part of a new package of high-grade military equipment.
“We are getting as much to the Ukrainian MoD as we can,” he said in a different interview with LBC radio in London.
