The Pentagon said it could not confirm the use of chemical weapons by Russian forces in Ukraine “at this time,” a senior US defense official said Tuesday.
“We’re looking at this as best we can, but we’re not in a position to confirm those reports,” the official said when asked about reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons in Ukraine’s Mariupol.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The biggest challenge is we’re not there, and we don’t know if anything was used. These are difficult things to prove even when you are more proximate,” the official added.
The US official estimated that Russia now has “just above” 80 percent of the combat power it had assembled for its war on Ukraine.
And Russian forces are now being forced to stay on paved roads with the spring weather instead of using frozen lakes or ponds.
As for the nearly eight-mile-long Russian convoy near the Donbas, the official said it was now around 40 miles north of Izyum.
“They are moving south. Now, whether Izyum is [where they are heading], I just don’t know,” the official said.
Read more: Pentagon can’t ‘independently’ confirm images out of Ukraine’s Bucha: US official
