President Biden said Wednesday he believes there is a “real threat” of Russian President Vladimir Putin ordering the use of chemical weapons in an attempt to boost his stalled war in Ukraine.
Biden made the comment to reporters as he left the White House for a four-day trip to Belgium and Poland, where he will huddle with US allies and discuss additional responses to Russia’s catastrophic invasion, which will reach the one-month mark Thursday.
The president declined to preview his message to the rest of the West when asked, saying: “All I have to say, I’m going to say it when I get there.”
“I’ll be happy to talk to you guys when I get back,” the president added to the press.
Despite Biden’s fears, a senior US defense official said Tuesday that Washington so far has seen no evidence that Russia is moving toward unleashing chemical or biological weapons on Ukraine.
Biden arrived in Brussels on Wednesday evening and traveled to his hotel without making public remarks. He was greeted at the airport by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander de Croo.
Biden thanked the Belgian leader “for Belgium’s robust support in the EU for sanctions against Russia and for ongoing coordination in providing security assistance to Ukraine,” the White House said.
This week’s journey, Biden’s first international trip since this past fall, will test the president’s ability to navigate Europe’s worst crisis since World War II — one which his national security adviser says has no quick end in sight.
“This war will not end easily or rapidly,” Jake Sullivan told reporters while previewing the trip Tuesday. “For the past few months, the West has been united. The president is traveling to Europe to make sure we stay united.”
Sullivan added that while abroad, Biden would coordinate with allies on military assistance for Ukraine and new sanctions on Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported overnight that the US was preparing penalties on hundreds of members of Russia’s parliament, the Duma, that could be announced as soon as Thursday.
The adviser also said Biden would discuss long-term efforts to boost defenses in Eastern Europe, where several nations that were part of the Soviet sphere of influence during the Cold War fear renewed Russian aggression.
The president traveled to Europe without his top spokesperson. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was forced to forgo the trip at the last minute after contracting COVID-19.
The first stop on Biden’s itinerary is Brussels, where he’ll take part in back-to-back meetings Thursday, including an extraordinary NATO summit.
He’ll also take part in meetings with the leaders of the European Union and the G7 nations, which include the world’s richest democracies.
On Friday, Biden will travel to Warsaw to discuss the strain on Poland’s humanitarian resources due to the ongoing Ukrainian refugee crisis. It’s unclear if he will visit the Ukrainian border, with White House officials indicating aboard Air Force One Wednesday that any such plans would remain murky for “security purposes.”
According to the United Nations, more than 3.6 million people have been displaced by the month-long war, with more than 2.1 million of them seeking shelter in Poland.
Biden is set to meet with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Saturday before capping off the trip with a set-piece speech about the conflict and the West’s support for Ukraine and democracy.
The president’s trip comes on the heels of Vice President Kamala Harris’ visit to Warsaw earlier this month, during which Duda called on the US to expedite the visa process for Ukrainians looking to temporarily settle in the United States.
