US National Security Adviser: Russia will pay a “heavy price” if it uses chemical weapons in Ukraine

LAST UPDATE: 17:21

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that Russia would pay a “heavy price” if it launches a chemical weapons attack on Ukraine, and said any attack on NATO territory would provoke a full response from the alliance.

Sullivan told CBS’s “Face the Nation” show that the United States and its allies were consulting closely on the growing threat of a chemical weapons attack and were communicating directly with Moscow to warn against any such move.

“The use of weapons of mass destruction would be an additional line that (Russian President Vladimir Putin) goes beyond in terms of his attack on international law and international rules,” Sullivan said.

Russia’s expansion into new targets in Ukraine near the Polish border reflects growing frustration with the pace of the invasion, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN on Sunday, according to Reuters.

Sullivan said Washington had no plans to deploy US forces in Ukraine, but added that the United States would defend “every inch” of NATO territory while increasing aid to Ukrainian fighters, including by providing anti-aircraft weapons. weapons.

He said the United States and its allies would continue to escalate pressure on Russia, and warned that any move by China or other countries that would provide a lifeline to Russia or help it avoid Western sanctions would “definitely” have consequences.

Sullivan today also condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Arbil and said Washington was working to help Iraq acquire missile defense capabilities to defend itself.

Sullivan told CBS’s “Face the Nation” that no American citizen was injured in the attack or that US facilities were damaged, but that the United States would do whatever it took to defend its people, its interests and its allies.

“We are in consultation with the Iraqi government and the government of Iraqi Kurdistan, in part to help them acquire missile defense capabilities so that they can defend themselves in their cities,” he said.