U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday that if Russia were to use chemical weapons in its invasion of Ukraine, the United States would respond.
"We [United States] would respond, we would respond if he [Vladimir Putin] uses chemical weapons in Ukraine. The nature of the response would depend on the nature of the use," Biden said at a news conference in Brussels.
The US president hailed the transatlantic alliance's unity in the face of Russia's war, saying it "has never, never been more united than it is today."
"Putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have as a consequence of going into Ukraine. We built that same unity with the European Union, and with the leading democracies in the G7," Biden said.
Russia began its assault on Feb. 24. It has been met with international outrage with the EU, US, and UK, among others, imposing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.
At least 1,035 civilians have been killed so far in Ukraine and 1,650 injured, according to UN estimates, while officials cautioned the true toll is likely far higher. Over 3.6 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.
