The US has “no intention” of using chemical weapons under any circumstances, even if Russia uses them in Ukraine, according to White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
“If Russia employs chemical weapons, it will pay a high price. And I won’t go any further than to say that the United States has no intention of using chemical weapons under any circumstances, period,” onboard Air Force One, Sullivan said to reporters.
According to a senior administration official, the White House has formed a team of national security officials to plan for what would happen if Russia used chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine. The US and its allies have expressed concern that the Kremlin may resort to such a move as its invasion battles Ukrainian resistance and Moscow’s own issues.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan issued a memo on February 28 outlining how the so-called “Tiger Team” would assess what might happen in the next three months. NBC News spoke with a senior administration official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the nature of the conflict.
Russia using chemical or biological weapons, Russia targeting US convoys carrying weapons to Ukraine, a disruption in the global food supply, and a refugee crisis as millions of Ukrainians flee the country have all been discussed, according to the official.
The New York Times was the first to report on the formation of the team. According to the official, Sullivan’s memo also established a second “strategy group” in charge of “a longer-term examination of major geopolitical shifts” caused by the invasion.
A chemical or biological attack would be a dramatic escalation in a conflict in which Russia has increasingly targeted civilian areas. These types of weapons would also risk spilling over into NATO member countries such as Poland.
