Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry rejected as unfounded the allegations by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that the United States had financed over 120 biological laboratories in Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda reported citing the ministry. The ministry stressed that Ukraine strictly adheres to the Biological Weapons Convention (BTWC) and has never developed, produced, or stockpiled biological weapons.
Cooperation with the US has for years been solely aimed at strengthening public health, disease surveillance, laboratory diagnostics, and biosecurity research, the ministry said. It described the activities as civilian, conducted according to international standards, with no military objectives. The labs involved are diagnostic, scientific, or reference laboratories under the health and veterinary sectors.
The ministry noted that Russia has used the narrative of alleged biolabs in its propaganda for years. All Russian claims have been repeatedly refuted internationally, most recently during a consultation under the BTWC in 2022. Additionally, Gabbard’s map contained errors: it misplaced Kyiv and labeled a city as ‘Cherniv’ instead of the correct Chernivtsi.
Source: www.pravda.com.ua
