Russia says US sending rocket systems to Ukraine will increase risk of direct confrontation
(File photo) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
Slamming the US for its decision to send rocket systems and other sophisticated weapons to Ukraine, Russia has warned that it could widen the conflict and increase the risk of direct confrontation with Washington.
On Wednesday, the US unveiled a new $700 million package of arms and ammunition for Ukraine in a bid to prevent Russia from seizing the final swaths of land in the Donbas region. Among the arms that have been promised to send to Kyiv is High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), a multiple rocket launcher system.
The US officials had said that the systems being sent to Ukraine will allow them to launch rockets about 49 miles—far less than the systems’ maximum range but greater than anything Kyiv has been sent to date, reports CNN.
According to Reuters, Reacting sharply to the move, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters, “We believe that the United States is purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire.”
Asked later if the US move increased the chances of a third country becoming involved in the conflict, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, "Such risks certainly exist."
He told a news conference in Saudi Arabia, "It is a direct provocation (by Ukraine), aimed at involving the West in military action."
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However, US claimed that they were given assurances by Ukraine that the weapons systems provided by Washington won’t be used “against targets on Russian territory.”
Appearing at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, “There is a strong trust bond between Ukraine and the United States, as well as with our allies and partners."
But Russian Deputy Prime Minister Peskov said Moscow did not trust such assurances. He said it was assessing the risk of rockets being fired into Russian territory and was taking appropriate measures, but that it viewed Washington's step "extremely negatively."
(With inputs from agencies)
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