Russia warns US, NATO against continuing to arm Ukraine
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warns the United States and NATO countries against arming Ukraine further, saying it will prolong the conflict and the ensuing pain.
Lavrov made the remarks to his American counterpart Antony Blinken on Friday, during the first phone call to take place between the two since the onset of the February 24 operation.
“The continuous pumping of US and NATO weapons into the armed forces of Ukraine...only prolongs the agony of the regime in Kiev, prolonging the conflict, and multiplying the casualties," Lavrov said, according to Russia’s foreign ministry.
Early this month, the United States unveiled a $820-million weapons package for Ukraine, taking the total of Washington’s military aid to Kiev under US President Joe Biden to $7.6 billion.
The new package includes surface-to-air missile systems and counter-artillery radars to boost the embattled Ukrainian military.
The package followed a separate $450-million shipment of military aid announced earlier, which included four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and patrol boats, among other equipment.
Lavrov also said Russia intended to meet the targets of its operation in Ukraine, which Moscow says is conducted in self-defense.
Russia says the operation is aimed at “demilitarizing” the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas.
Back in 2014, Donetsk and its neighboring Luhansk region—which together form the Donbas—declared themselves independent republics, refusing to recognize Ukraine’s Western-backed government. The declaration of independence was ensued by a conflict between the region’s pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian military.
Ordering the operation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the mission was aimed at “defending people who for eight years were suffering persecution and genocide by the Kiev regime.”
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