In terms of how the West responds to Russia’s deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine, British armed forces minister James Heappey said on Tuesday that all options are on the table.
On Monday, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the UK was working with its partners to investigate the facts of accusations that Russian forces used chemical weapons in an attack on Mariupol, a city in southeastern Ukraine where hundreds are estimated to have died during a near-seven-week siege.
‘Some things are beyond the pale,’ Heappey told Sky News, ‘and the use of chemical weapons will have a response, and all options are on the table for what that response could be.’
‘No, all options are on the table,’ Heappey replied on LBC Radio when asked if he could rule out deploying British or NATO soldiers on Ukrainian soil.
On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned that Russia could use chemical weapons in his nation and urged the West to put tougher sanctions on Moscow to dissuade even the threat of using such weapons.
‘If chemical weapons have been deployed, it is a critical time for our prime minister and other world leaders to contemplate how we would respond,’ Heappey told BBC TV.
‘Russian President Vladimir Putin should make it plain that the use of chemical weapons is unacceptably dangerous, and he should not expect the West to stand by if they are used.’
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