Russia has accused Ukrainian forces of using toxic chemical agents against both soldiers and civilians in the ongoing war. This comes as diplomatic efforts intensify to bring the conflict to an end through renewed negotiations expected next month.
A senior Russian foreign ministry official, while speaking to Russian state media TASS, claimed that Ukrainian troops had repeatedly deployed toxic substances in violation of international law, allegations that come amid mounting political pressure to advance peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow.
Kirill Logvinov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Organizations, said Ukrainian armed units were using prohibited agents in areas of active fighting.
“In violation of international commitments under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), Ukrainian armed units systematically use toxic agents against Russian troops and civilian population in the zone of the special military operation,” Logvinov told TASS.
Kyiv accused of toxic attacks
He said Russia had documented the alleged incidents through its relevant agencies and submitted evidence to international bodies.
According to Logvinov, Moscow has shared the information with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the United Nations Security Council, and the UN General Assembly.
The diplomat added that Russia continues to inform the international community about what it describes as violations of the Chemical Weapons Convention by the Ukrainian government and the broader situation on the battlefield.
Ukraine has not immediately responded to the claims, and Russia has previously made similar accusations during the conflict. Western governments and independent investigators have often cautioned that claims of chemical weapons use require verification by international watchdogs.
The accusations come as U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, February 25, said Washington remains committed to pushing for a negotiated end to the conflict but warned that President Donald Trump’s patience with stalled talks is limited.
“That war will be settled through a negotiation. And right now, we are the only country in the world that can be a catalyst for negotiation. If we forfeit that role, no one else can do it,” he said while speaking to reporters.
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Rubio added that while the United States remains engaged in the process, Trump has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress toward peace.
“Do I believe the president’s patience is infinite? I do not,”
The Secretary of State maintained that Trump views the conflict as a senseless war that should be brought to an end.
Russia-Ukraine war diplomacy continues
The renewed diplomatic push comes ahead of another round of talks expected to resume in March, with hopes that progress could lead to a summit involving national leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a statement on Wednesday said he had held a call with Trump and senior U.S. envoys, including Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, to discuss the roadmap for upcoming negotiations.
“Our teams work intensively and I thanked them for all their work and for their active involvement in the negotiations and the efforts to end the war,” Zelenskyy said.
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He noted that upcoming discussions in Geneva and a planned round of trilateral negotiations in early March could help pave the way for a leaders-level summit, adding that Trump supports the current diplomatic sequence.
“We discussed the issues that our representatives will address tomorrow in Geneva during the bilateral meeting, as well as preparations for the next meeting of the full negotiating teams in a trilateral format at the very beginning of March. We expect this meeting to create an opportunity to move talks to the leaders’ level. President Trump supports this sequence of steps. This is the only way to resolve all the complex and sensitive issues and finally end the war.”
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy also highlighted what he described as progress in cleaning up corruption within Ukraine’s security institutions, following the detention of two senior military officials on suspicion of embezzling funds intended for aircraft shelter construction.
The arrests form part of a broader effort to reform the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), which Zelenskyy said must operate solely in the national interest.
The Ukrainian president later met with the delegation of the United for Ukraine parliamentary network at the European Parliament, including members from Austria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.
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