The United States has no indication that Russia has decided to use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, including a so-called "dirty bomb," a senior military official said Monday, according to the AFP news agency.
"The Ukrainians are not building a dirty bomb, nor do we have indications that the Russians have made a decision to employ nuclear, chem, bio" weapons, the military official told journalists on condition of anonymity.
Asked if that assessment included dirty bombs, the official replied, "Yes."
The comments come a day after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu alleged that Ukraine was preparing a “provocation”, involving a radioactive device, sparking fears that Russia could use such a device and blame Kyiv.
On Monday, Russia's defense ministry said army chief Valery Gerasimov made the same allegation in a conversation with US General Mark Milley.
"During the conversation... the situation related to the possible use of a 'dirty bomb' by Ukraine was continued," the ministry said in a statement.
The US military also confirmed the call, saying the two discussed "several security-related issues of concern and agreed to keep the lines of communication open."
Responding to Russia’s claims in a post on Twitter, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Sunday, “I spoke to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. We both agreed Russia’s ‘dirty bomb’ disinformation campaign might be aimed at creating a pretext for a false flag operation. We also discussed further practical steps to boost Ukraine’s air defense. Secretary affirmed the US spares no effort to this end.”
In a televised address Sunday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that Moscow itself was setting the stage for deploying a radioactive device on Ukrainian soil.
“If Russia calls and says that Ukraine is allegedly preparing something, it means only one thing: that Russia has already prepared all of it,” Zelenskyy said, according to AP.
Shoigu’s accusations come amid global concerns that Russia may use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a thinly veiled nuclear threat in a recent speech in which Putin also announced his country's first wartime military mobilization since World War Two.
US President Joe Biden, in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, accused Putin of making "overt nuclear threats against Europe" in reckless disregard for nuclear nonproliferation responsibilities.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan later said that Washington takes Putin's nuclear threats seriously but does not presently see indications of the use of nuclear weapons by Russia.
