Chemical weapon proliferation

The Kremlin on Thursday rejected allegations by the United States that Russian forces had used a "chemical weapon" in Ukraine and blasted new sanctions targeting Moscow's key trading partners.

The U.S. State Department said Wednesday that Russia used "the chemical weapon chloropicrin" against Ukrainian forces.

The announcement of the Russian diplomatic mission followed in response to the statements of the U.S. Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, Bonnie Jenkins.

All the toxic chemicals removed from Syria under a deal with the Syrian government to destroy its chemical weapons stockpile have been delivered to destruction facilities outside the country, the global chemical weapons watchdog said on Thursday.
   

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has said it is not fully satisfied with the process of elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal in a written statement, claiming the Syrian government has yet to destroy all of its facilities.

Turkey will continue to follow the developments with regard to the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria, the ministry said on June 27.  

The destruction of Syria's chemical weapons arsenal will not be completed before a June 30 deadline agreed after Washington threatened air strikes last year, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon has said.

An April 27 deadline for Syria to hand over its chemical weapons to international monitors also expired with Damascus holding around eight percent of its declared material.