Russian Defence Minister Shoigu on Sunday made phone calls to several of his Western counterparts with claims that Ukraine was preparing a "false-flag attack" using a "dirty bomb" to accuse Russia of using weapons of mass destruction, according to a report by a US think tank.
In response, the US, UK and French governments issued a joint statement in which they reiterated their "steadfast support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression," Polish state news agency PAP reported.
The foreign ministers of the three countries said they remained "committed to continue supporting Ukraine’s efforts to defend its territory for as long as it takes."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly and France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in the statement that their countries made clear that they "all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory."
'We reject any pretext for escalation by Russia'
"The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation," the statement added. "We further reject any pretext for escalation by Russia."
The US, US and French foreign ministers also said that they "discussed their shared determination to continue supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance in the face of President Putin’s brutal war of aggression."
'Act of Russian nuclear blackmail': Ukrainian defence minister
Ukraine's Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Monday described Shoigu's claim as "an act of Russian nuclear blackmail."
'Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves': Ukrainian FM
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba earlier tweeted that "Russian lies about Ukraine allegedly planning to use a ‘dirty bomb’ are as absurd as they are dangerous."
"Firstly, Ukraine is a committed NPT [Non-Proliferation Treaty] member: we neither have any ‘dirty bombs’ nor plan to acquire any," Kuleba said.
"Secondly, Russians often accuse others of what they plan themselves," he added.
A dirty bomb is a conventional explosive laced with radioactive material that is not a nuclear weapon, according to the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.
Monday is day 243 of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
(gs)
Source: PAP, state.gov