Russia has warned that the United States is “crossing the line” by providing lethal weapons to Ukraine
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov accused the US of playing the role of warmonger in the Ukrainian conflict saying that Washington is practically pushing Kiev into “new bloodshed.”
The senior diplomat added that Washington can no longer claim the role of mediator in the Ukrainian conflict, because it’s actually an “accomplice in igniting a war.”
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Press TV reports: Sergei Ryabko, the Russian deputy foreign minister, raised the alarm on Saturday, accusing the White House of fomenting the persisting conflict in eastern Ukraine between the government troops and pro-Russia forces in a region known locally as the Donbass.
The senior Russian diplomat added that Washington could no longer claim the role of neutral mediator in the conflict as “it is an accomplice in igniting a war.” Ryabko also said it was futile to appeal to the common sense of American politicians since most of them were currently “blinded by Russophobia and eagerly applaud the Ukrainian nationalist punitive battalions.”
The Kremlin’s warning came a day after the US State Department announced in a statement that Washington had decided to supply Ukraine with “enhanced defensive capabilities” as part of the United States’ efforts to assist Kiev in building “its long-term defense capacity” and “to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to deter further aggression.”
The statement did not specify the capabilities being considered for the supply to Ukraine, but earlier in the day, the US media reported that Washington had planned to approve the sale of anti-tank missiles to the Eastern European country, including the advanced Javelin system.
“The total defense package of $47 million includes the sale of 210 anti-tank missiles and 35 launchers. Additional supplies will need to be purchased,” an ABC News report said.
Moscow issued its dire warning after a new truce deal between Ukraine and pro-Russians went into effect from midnight Saturday ahead of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays.
Elsewhere in his strongly-worded statement, Ryabko said, “Kiev revanchists are shooting at Donbass every day. They don’t want to conduct peace negotiations and dream of doing away with the disobedient population. And the US has decided to give them weapons to do that.”
On Thursday, Russia also warned the United States about the consequences of supplying arms to Ukraine, saying that the weapons would provoke “hotheads” among Ukrainian nationalists to seek to unleash new bloodshed in the country’s troubled east.
