Russia has said its troops may target Western arms supplies in Ukraine, where the Russian military has been advancing since late February.
‘We have warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets,’ the deputy said on Saturday. ‑Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov on state television.
He said Moscow had warned “of the consequences of the thoughtless transfer to Ukraine of weapons such as man-portable air defense systems, anti-tank missile systems, etc.
Ryabkov said Washington had not taken Moscow’s warnings seriously and added that Russia and the United States were not carrying out any “negotiating process” on Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin sent Russian troops to Ukraine on February 24 and said he aimed to “denazify” the country.
Moscow has been hit by a barrage of international sanctions since Putin sent in troops.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called on Western powers to provide more military aid to his country, warning that the Russian military would not stop at Ukraine’s borders if Moscow took full control.
While the United States and NATO have rejected Zelenskyy’s repeated calls for a no-fly zone over Ukraine, they are shipping weapons to Ukraine at breakneck speed, including items very sensitive such as shoulder-fired missiles called man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS). who can shoot down planes.
Western arms shipments were vital in enabling the Ukrainians to fight the invading Russian forces far more effectively and fiercely than American intelligence hoped.
The US Senate on Thursday approved $6.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine.
For the first time in its history, the European Union funds the purchase and delivery of weapons after the leaders agreed to transport weapons worth 450 million euros (502 million dollars) to Kyiv .
Two days into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Berlin announced it would provide 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger missiles, reversing its policy of banning arms exports to conflict zones .
In a similar policy shift, the Norwegian government also said in late February that it would donate up to 2,000 M72 anti-tank weapons.
On Saturday, Ukrainian civilian fighters and residents of the capital braced for a major attack as Russian forces surrounded the city with troops and artillery a few miles away.
Fighting raged northwest of Kiev, with the bulk of Russian ground forces 25 km (16 miles) from the center of the Ukrainian capital.
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