Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the media on Oct. 1, 2019, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo: Sean Gallup via Getty Images
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday denounced Russia's claims that the U.S. is housing biological weapons in his country.
Why it matters: U.S. officials say the claims are "an obvious ploy" to justify Russia's attack on Ukraine and have warned that the move could foreshadow Russian deployment of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine.
What he's saying: "I am the president of an adequate country, an adequate nation. And the father of two children. And no chemical or any other weapons of mass destruction were developed on my land," Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.
- "The whole world knows that. You know that. And if Russia do something like that against us, it will get the most severe sanctions response."
The big picture: Zelensky has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes and genocide.
- The Russian military bombed a children's hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol on Wednesday.
- Almost 40,000 people were evacuated on Thursday, according to Zelensky.
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