Jake Sullivan: ‘Russia Would Pay a Severe Price if They Use Chemical Weapons in Ukraine’

White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union” that Russia “would pay a severe price” if they used chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Anchor Dana Bash said, “The U.S. said this week that Russia has the capacity for a chemical weapon attack in Ukraine. The Polish president said today that would be a game-changer. NATO would have to think seriously about what to do. Would the U.S. intervene more directly militarily if Russia uses chemical weapons in Ukraine?”

Sullivan said, “It is a very legitimate concern, fear that Russia would use chemical weapons in Ukraine. They’re right now accusing the United States and the Ukrainians of potentially using chemical or biological weapons, which is a tell. It’s a tell that they, themselves, may be preparing to do so and try to pin the blame on someone else. That’s a classic page out of the Russian playbook. As the president said on Friday, if Russia were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, they would pay a severe price. I’ll leave it at that today as we work closely with our NATO allies and partners, and together we communicate through channels to the Russians to reinforce that message, that Russia would pay a severe price if they use chemical weapons in Ukraine.”

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