Brussels, March 24, (dpa/GNA) – NATO leaders have warned that a Russian chemical weapons attack in Ukraine, would completely change the nature of the war on the alliance’s eastern border, as they meet for a summit in Brussels.
Allies from NATO, the EU and G7 countries, are holding talks in the Belgian capital, to decide how to respond to and stop Russia’s assault on its neighbour, which began exactly a month ago.
“Any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. It would be a blatant violation of international law, and it will have widespread and severe consequences,” NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, said at the start of the summit.
“There is a risk always for contamination … we can see the spread of chemical agents also into NATO territory,” he said.
Stoltenberg did not say how NATO would respond to such an attack, but other NATO leaders including Belgian Prime Minister, Alexander De Croo, said it would have “grave consequences.”
Slovenian Prime Minister, Janez Janša, said that he did not think the Russian military would use chemical weapons strategically, because of the possible response from the West, but said the spread of contamination could occur in other ways.
Russian shelling of chemical plants in Ukraine could trigger “a disaster of large scale,” Janša warned.
The NATO extraordinary summit is taking place exactly one month after the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Russia, which says it is threatened by any eastward expansion of NATO, has described it as a “special military operation” with the aim of “getting rid of the military potential of Ukraine.”
US President, Joe Biden, is attending before joining a G7 summit and an EU leaders’ summit, in a show of global unity in the face of Russian aggression.
“Nobody can feel safe now,” Lithuanian Prime Minister Gitanas Nauseda said, referring to a potential attack by Russia on NATO territory.
Nauseda added Lithuania is too likely to raise defence spending to 3% of gross domestic product (GDP) in the coming years to counter the Russian threat.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called for NATO to do more to end the invasion, saying, “I think we have to double our efforts – Putin cannot win this war.”
The faster that Western allies can agree on further sanctions on Russia, the faster the war in Ukraine will be over, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.
“The harder our sanctions, the tougher our economic vice around the Putin regime, the more we can and do to help the Ukrainians (and) I think the faster that this thing could be over,” Johnson said.
The question of the fifth round of sanctions on Russia divides the EU. Germany and the Netherlands are among those who want a pause to review the four rounds already adopted. Poland and the Baltics are pushing for further measures.
A proposal to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank with permanent troop deployments, supported by air and naval power, is still on the table. The move would mark a violation of the NATO-Russia Founding Act, and would likely escalate tensions with Russia.
A day before the meeting, NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, announced the deployment of four new battle groups – which are rotating deployments to Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, in response to Russia’s invasion.
Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, is to address Biden and the 29 other NATO leaders via video link and will speak to Biden and EU leaders later in the day.
The Ukrainian leader continues to push for the establishment of a no-fly zone to protect his country from Russian airstrikes, though NATO has repeatedly dismissed the request.
At the two-day EU leaders’ summit, Biden is to discuss US support for the European Union as it seeks to end its dependency on Russian energy imports.
The White House said further sanctions on Russia, are also to be announced in Brussels.
The EU summit is also expected to decide on a solidarity fund, that will be used to rebuild Ukraine after the end of the war.
EU member states make up a majority of NATO, with 21 members. Germany, France and Italy are also members of the G7 group of industrialized nations.
GNA