MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - Washington's accusations that Russia allegedly possesses chemical weapons are unsubstantiated and groundless, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"We understand that, based on the mechanism enforced, for instance, in Washington, a second portion of sanctions is being announced," Peskov told reporters when commenting on media reports that the U.S. may impose additional sanctions on Russia over the use of chemical weapons.
"At the same time, Washington itself is guided by absolutely unsubstantiated and baseless accusations that Russia allegedly has chemical weapons in its territory," he said.
"But there isn't and can't be any information actually confirming this, because Russia disposed of its stockpiles of chemical weapons a long time ago and closed all programs that were at least somewhat associated with the production of chemical weapons," Peskov said.
The Kremlin has taken note of reports about such potential sanctions, Peskov said, at the same time adding that "they are currently nothing other than just media reports."
"Of course, Russia understands this, takes this into consideration, and is working on different scenarios in order to guarantee and protect the interests of our country, our citizens, and our business as best as possible," Peskov said.