Blinken: We Have Real Concerns that Russia Could Use Chemical Weapons

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday on CNN’s “Situation Room” that the United States has “real concerns” Russia would use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Blitzer said, “How real is the risk of this spiraling into nuclear war?”

Blinken said, “Well, President Biden has been very clear one thing that is for sure we are going to avoid getting into any kind of conflict with Russia and certainly avoiding anything that brings us to World War III. Some of Russia’s loose talk about its nuclear weapons is the height of irresponsibility. It goes against everything that we said, including that Russia said over many years and how a nuclear war is not winnable. Something that was reaffirmed as recently as the meeting between President Biden and Putin in the summer in Geneva. So we watched this very, very carefully. There is a lot of bad loose talk and bluster. At the same time, I have to tell you — we have real concerns that Russia could use a chemical weapon, another weapon of mass destruction. This is something we are very focused on.”

Blitzer asked, “If they do use chemical weapons, what will the U.S. and the NATO allies do?”

Blinken said, “I’m not gonna spell it out here, but the consequences would be severe.”

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