India calls for ban on biological weapons at UNSC

India at the UN hoped diplomacy and dialogue between Russia & Ukraine would bring an end to hostilities. TS Tirumurti  India's Permanent Rep to the UN on Friday said that said: "We sincerely hope ongoing direct negotiations between Russia & Ukraine will lead to cessation of hostilities. There's no other alternative except a path of diplomacy and dialogue. The dire humanitarian situation needs immediate and urgent attention." He called for ban on weapons for mass destruction. He said, "It is important to ensure full and effective implementation of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) in letter and spirit."

#IndiainUNSC

Watch: Permanent Representative @AmbTSTirumurti speak at the #UNSC Briefing on the situation in #Ukraine ⤵️@MEAIndia @IndiainUkraine @IndEmbMoscow pic.twitter.com/LOakE6GXMA

— India at UN, NY (@IndiaUNNewYork) March 11, 2022

The UNSC meeting was convened  at Russia’s request. Russia repeated its accusation of several years that the United States is working with Ukrainian laboratories to develop biological weapons. Such assertions in Russian media increased in the run-up to Moscow’s military move into Ukraine and were made as recently as Wednesday by foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova. , the United States denied renewed Russian accusations that Washington was operating biological warfare labs in Ukraine, calling the claims “laughable” and suggesting Moscow may be laying the groundwork to use a chemical or biological weapon.
U.S. Mission, spokesperson to the United Nations Olivia Dalton said Russia has a well-documented history of using chemical weapons and has long maintained a biological weapons program in violation of international law and US will not going to let Russia get away with gaslighting. In a statement, State Department spokesman Ned Price also said Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine. Like many other countries, Ukraine has public health laboratories researching how to mitigate the threats of dangerous diseases affecting both animals and humans. Its laboratories have received support from the United States, European Union and World Health Organization.