World Affairs International

The United States has created a team of officials to draft responses to Russian use of biological, chemical, or nuclear weapons. Likely strategies will be addressed following Biden’s arrival in Brussels, on the eve of a major NATO meeting, where Zelenskyy will be present. As of March 23rd, Ukraine has confirmed the use of white phosphorus on civilian targets.

This comes as the United States State Department has taken a harsher stance on Russia, condemning Russian war crimes and revealing higher casualty numbers than before. Previously, the U.S. opted to stay within the middle of the Kremlin and Kyiv’s estimates, offering a tentative 2,000 Russian troop losses with their own confirmed intel. As the invasion has ramped up, the U.S. now claims 7,000 to 15,000 Russian troops killed, the latter often cited by Ukraine. The U.S. also claims that up to 40,000 or more Russian soldiers are missing in action, captured, or wounded. Considering the high rates of desertion within the military and the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive, which has pushed Russian troops 25 km away from Kyiv’s east, these numbers are believable.

NATO recently published graphics regarding the positions of troops on its eastern flank. The presence of anti-air defense in Poland and the Czech Republic was noted, citing the rapid aerial and missile exchange that would occur should a major escalation draw in NATO.