Russia warns West against supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the supply of weapons capable of striking Russian territory would be a step towards “unacceptable growth”.
On Thursday, the Reuters news agency reported that Washington had discussed with Kiev the risk of a three-month-old conflict if Russia carried out an attack inside Russia, citing unnamed U.S. and diplomatic officials.
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However, behind-the-scenes talks did not result in a clear geographical ban on the use of weapons supplied to Ukrainian forces, officials told Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned Western powers against supplying Ukraine with weapons capable of striking Russian territory, saying such a move would be “a serious step towards unacceptable growth.”
RT’s Arabic channel quoted him as saying he hoped “conscientious objectors” in the West would understand the dangers of steps to improve Ukraine’s arsenal.
“There are still a few left,” Lavrov said.
The reports came as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuliba called on Western nations to supply Kiev with heavy weapons. He said in a video posted on Twitter that his country needed strong artillery because it was the “only” area where they did not compare to Moscow.
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Lavrov’s remarks on Thursday by Russia’s TASS news agency that the United States and other Western allies in Kiev came against the backdrop of increasing sophisticated arms supplies to Ukraine as Moscow launched an attack on the country’s eastern Donbass region.
“If you really care about Ukraine, send arms, weapons and ammunition again,” Kuleba said.
The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden and Washington’s allies have in recent weeks sought to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons, including the M777 Whitzer, a type of artillery weapon.
But the country’s intelligence agencies have also warned of growing risks, with National Intelligence Director Avril Haynes saying in a Senate hearing earlier this month that the coming months could take the war “to a more unpredictable and potentially escalating trajectory”.
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U.S. officials told Reuters that the White House was even considering providing Kiev with the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which could extend up to hundreds of kilometers depending on the ammunition.
The United States, by design, is not directly fighting Russian forces, but Pentagon commanders are in constant contact with Ukrainian leaders and have provided critical intelligence that allows Ukraine to target Russian troops on land and at sea.
Reuters quoted a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that Washington and Kiev had an “agreement” on the use of some Western-supplied weapons.
“So far, we’ve been on the same page about the threshold,” the official said.
Data on countries sending arms to Ukraine
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Russia is a long way from the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and the country is far from the front lines before the war. But Ukraine has not attacked a major Russian city or carried out deep operations in Russia, including military targets such as arms manufacturers or supply centers far from the border.
Russian officials have repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of attacking a fuel depot in the western Russian city of Belgorod.
But what a diplomatic source told Reuters was a clear indication that Kyiv understood the sensitivity of any move along the border, with Ukraine refusing to confirm its involvement in the alleged incident.
A U.S. official told Reuters that Kiev’s forces had a number of targets inside Ukraine for the time being, including collecting long-range weapons from supporters of the country.
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Former U.S. ambassador to NATO and retired Army lieutenant general Douglas Looty agrees that Kiev has sufficient Russian targets inside Ukraine.
But Loot also acknowledged the risks of escalation and political divisions within NATO মার্কিন the US-led Transatlantic Military Alliance, whose members supplied billions of dollars worth of weapons to Kiev during the war যদি if Ukraine were to be invaded by Russia.
“It simply came to our notice then. And, of course, the Alliance doesn’t want that. And not Ukraine, “Lut told Reuters.
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Russia warns West against supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons
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(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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