MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Russia is waiting for responses from the United States regarding issues related to the development of biological weapons in Ukraine with the support of the Pentagon, Kirill Vorontsov, deputy head of the Russian delegation and deputy director of the Department for Non-Proliferation and Arms Control at the Russian Foreign Ministry has said.

"Legitimate questions, officially raised by Russia, remain unanswered. These questions concern the uncovered facts regarding the implementation of a military-biological program in Ukraine - in violation of the Biological Weapons Convention - with the support of the US Department of Defense and its affiliated entities, including private companies," he said during a discussion on Other Weapons of Mass Destruction within the First Committee of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. A transcript of his remarks has been published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

As Vorontsov noted, "an analysis of the projects carried out in Ukrainian laboratories leads to the conclusion that components of biological weapons were, or perhaps still are, being developed in the immediate vicinity of Russian territory." He emphasized that Russia views this as a direct threat to its national security.

"The admission - cited by Tulsi Gabbard - regarding Washington’s long-term funding of 'potentially risky' virus experiments in over 120 foreign biolaboratories - more than 40 of which are located in Ukraine - only confirms the validity of Russia’s concerns regarding American military-biological activity near our borders," Vorontsov pointed out. "We expect the United States, as one of the depositaries of the BTWC, to provide appropriate responses to the questions we have raised. This would help resolve this unsavory situation and ensure that Washington complies with the obligations stipulated by the Convention," he concluded.