Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zeleneskyy on Friday, 11 March, denied Russia's allegation that Kyiv had been developing chemical or biological weapons.
He also warned Moscow of strict sanctions if any chemical weapons were used against Ukraine in the war.
In a video posted on Instagram, Zelenskyy said:
"I am the President of an adequate country, an adequate nation. And the father of two children. And no chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land."
"The whole world knows that. You know that. And if Russia do something like that against us, it will get the most severe sanctions response," he added.
Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov had on Thursday claimed that the United States was funding research for the creation of biological weapons in Ukraine, AFP reported.
The purpose of this research, he said, was to spread fatal pathogens.
He also claimed that the US "planned to carry out research on bird, bat and reptile pathogens", adding that the country was also experimenting with bat coronavirus samples.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had also charged Washington with providing resources for the development of biological weapons after talks with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Turkey on Thursday.
"The Americans carried out this work in complete secrecy. Just like how they work in other former Soviet states, creating their military-biological labs right along Russia's borders," Lavrov alleged.
(With inputs from AFP.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)