Who uses phosphorus and cluster bombs in Ukraine?

Russia has never violated international conventions, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's remarks about "Russian phosphorus bombs."

During his speech at an emergency NATO summit, Zelensky announced that Russia used phosphorus bombs in Ukraine.

"Today, by the way, there were phosphorus bombs in the morning. Russian phosphorus bombs,” he said, adding that people were killed.

The use of phosphorus shells is prohibited by the Geneva Convention where civilians may become victims of such bombings. Phosphorus munitions cause severe burns and acute poisoning.

In late February, the Russian Defense Ministry accused the Ukrainian military of the use of phosphorus munitions in the suburbs of Kiev.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported the use of another prohibited type of weapon — cluster munitions. In mid-March, the DPR, and then the Russian Defence Ministry, reported that Ukrainian forces launched a Tochka-U rocket with cluster munitions targeting a residential area of ​​Donetsk. Twenty civilians were killed in the attack.

The use of cluster bombs is prohibited by the 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, as they do not ensure high-precision strikes and can explode after a while, when on the ground. As many as 110 countries are parties to the convention. Thirteen countries have signed but not ratified it. Russia and Ukraine are not among them.

More from Peskov's press briefing on March 25:

On sanctions against Russian banks:

"The Kremlin does not see a threat to the banking sector of the Russian Federation, but it sees desperate actions for "carpet sanction-boming".

On the connection of biological laboratories in Ukraine with Biden's son:

"We will demand an explanation, and it not only us. China demanded clarifications too. The US talks about the ephemeral threat of the use of chemical weapons, but these are only attempts to divert attention from the scandal. It is unlikely that they will succeed here. Many people in the world are worried about what the US was doing and what could have happened because of all this research."

On Europe's possible refusal to pay for gas in rubles:

"Gazprom received instructions from the president to accept payment in rubles. Within a week, Gazprom must develop a transparent system of how this can be done technically and logistically. This information will be communicated to buyers."

On Biden's call to exclude Russia from the G20:

"The United States continues to push its line for the isolation of Russia quite aggressively. The world is much more diverse than the US and the EU. A large number of countries opt for a more sober approach to what is happening. The G20 format is important. However, as long as most of its members are in a state of economic war with us, nothing fatal will happen. Russia will be ready to take part, if possible."

On the anniversary of the bombing of Yugoslavia:

"It was then when NATO, and when we say NATO, we say the Americans, it was them who started bombing the foundations of the world order. It was then when the erosion of all the foundations of the world order began. All that led to the crisis in European security, which we are all experiencing now. We are also experiencing this crisis along with the Europeans, who, for the most part, are now unfriendly to us. The Americans — the instigators — are experiencing this crisis to a lesser extent."