Russia-Ukraine Conflict, Day 15 highlights: Moscow may use chemical weapons in Kyiv

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday said that Russia may use chemical weapons in Ukraine terming it's "straight out of their playbook".

On the other hand, French President Emmanuel Macron is planning to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the next 48 hours amid the third week of war between Moscow and Kyiv, Sputnik reported.

CNN quoted Johnson saying, "I just note that that is what they're already doing. It is a cynical, barbaric government, I'm afraid."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also told CNN that the UK is "very concerned" about the potential of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine, saying "we've seen Russia use these weapons before in fields of conflict."

Noting Russia's "track record," White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Wednesday warned that Russia could use chemical weapons in Ukraine or manufacture a "false flag" operation that uses them.

Earlier today, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks in Turkey amid the third week of war between the two nations.

"Ukraine, Russia made no progress towards agreeing on a ceasefire after the Russian invasion at tense talks in Turkey," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

In a press conference following the short meeting, Kuleba said a 24-hour ceasefire was also raised in order "to resolve the most pressing humanitarian issues," but he said they "did not make progress" on the issue "since it seems there are other decision-makers for this matter in Russia."

On February 24, Russia started the invasion of Ukraine. Since then, dozens of countries, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, have imposed financial sanctions and travel bans against Russia.

American tech giant Amazon has become the latest company to halt operations in Russia. The e-commerce giant said in a statement that it is cutting off access to Prime Video for customers based in Russia, given "the ongoing situation in Russia and Ukraine."

Moreover, the International Monetary Funds Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday warned that the "war and the unprecedented sanctions imposed on Russia are having far-reaching consequences," the Russian News Agency reported.

Africa is exposed to impacts from the Ukraine crisis through higher food and fuel prices, said Georgieva.

"Africa is particularly vulnerable to impacts from the Ukraine war through four main channels - increased food prices, higher fuel prices, lower tourism revenues, and potentially more difficult access to international capital markets," she added.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden said that inflation in the United States has reached new 40-year highs largely because of Putin's military operation in Ukraine.

"Today's inflation report is a reminder that Americans' budgets are being stretched by price increases and families are starting to feel the impacts of Putin's price hike," Biden said in a White House statement after the 12-month reading for the US Consumer Price Index showed an increase of 7.9 per cent for February, the highest since January 1982, Sputnik reported.

To support civilians affected in Ukraine due to Russia's invasion, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance.

(ANI)