US, Great Britain and France reject Shoigu's statements that Ukraine may use "dirty bomb"

This is stated in a joint statement published on the official website of the US State Department.

Representatives of the foreign ministries of the countries declared their firm support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our state, and also emphasized that they made it clear to Sergey Shoigu, Russian Minister of Defense, that they reject Ukraine's false accusations. They emphasized that the world will react to any attempt to use this accusation as a reason for escalation.

"Earlier today, the defense ministers of each of our countries spoke to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu at his request. Our countries made clear that we all reject Russia’s transparently false allegations that Ukraine is preparing to use a dirty bomb on its own territory. The world would see through any attempt to use this allegation as a pretext for escalation. We further reject any pretext for escalation by Russia," statement says.

The Foreign Ministers also discussed their shared determination to continue supporting Ukraine and the Ukrainian people with security, economic, and humanitarian assistance in the face of President Putin’s brutal war of aggression.

The U.S. also released a separate statement detailing a conversation between the country's Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The message says that the US rejects Shoigu's claims about Ukraine's use of a "dirty bomb" and discussed "the commitment of the US and the world to continue supporting Ukraine’s efforts to defend its territory for as long as it takes.

• On Sunday, October 23, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu spoke by phone with French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and British Defense Minister Ben Wallace and accused Ukraine of preparing provocations with a "dirty bomb".