The United States has no intention of using chemical weapons under any circumstances, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Friday. The comment comes after President Joe Biden said on Thursday that a Russian deployment of such substances in Ukraine would trigger “a response in kind.”
Biden’s statement led to speculation that the US would intervene militarily in Ukraine if Russia used chemical weapons, whether by conventional means or by using chemical weapons of its own. Biden, who has thus far ruled out direct American involvement in the ongoing conflict, added that “the nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use.”
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Sullivan said on Friday that Biden’s use of the phrase “response in kind” was referring to proportionality, and that “there will be a severe price if Russia uses chemical weapons.”