MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2022) Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Monday that his counterparts from France, Turkey and the United Kingdom had informed him of their discussions with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about a so-called dirty bomb issue.
"Communicated with #DefMin of @SebLecornu (France's Sebastien Lecornu) @BWallaceMP (UK's Ben Wallace) @HulusiAkarTC (Turkey's Hulusi Akar). Colleagues informed me about their talks with Russian DefMin ... I want to repeat: is open for any monitoring mission," the Ukrainian defense chief wrote on Twitter.
Reznikov also announced his plans to hold a conversation with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin later in the day. The talks will focus on the dirty bomb issue.
On Sunday, Shoigu expressed concerns to his French, Turkish and UK counterparts that Kiev, according to credible sources in various countries, including Ukraine, was preparing a provocation related to the detonation of a dirty bomb on its own territory to blame Moscow for the use of weapons of mass destruction and, thus, tarnish the country's image. According to the sources, Kiev has already begun the practical implementation of the plan under the guidance of Western curators, with the work on the bomb creation at the final stage. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in turn, denied the allegations and said that Kiev remained committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The international community has repeatedly voiced its concerns over a possible use of weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's special military operation there on February 24. Kiev and Moscow have been accusing each other of intending to use weapons of mass destruction as part of the hostilities and preparing nuclear provocations. Russia has rejected all such allegations, saying it strictly follows its nuclear doctrine and the constitution.
