Moscow’s ambassador to Washington has told the United States to stop sending additional arms to Ukraine. He warns that large western deliveries of weapons will pour more fuel on the fire and cause additional deaths on both sides of the conflict.
Thus far, Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands, displaced millions of others, and raised fear in some due to the potential global escalation and nuclear confrontation. The US has ruled out directly sending our troops or NATO troops into the conflict.
Still, we, along with our western neighbors, have sent billions of dollars in military aid and humanitarian assistance.
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Moscow’s ambassador to Washington has told the United States to stop sending additional arms to Ukraine. He warns that large western deliveries of weapons will pour more fuel on the fire and cause additional deaths on both sides of the conflict.
Thus far, Russia’s February invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands, displaced millions of others, and raised fear in some due to the potential global escalation and nuclear confrontation. The US has ruled out directly sending our troops or NATO troops into the conflict.
Still, we, along with our western neighbors, have sent billions of dollars in military aid and humanitarian assistance.
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the US, has stated that such large arms deliveries were aimed at weakening Russia and were, at the same time, escalating the conflict between the two countries and getting in the way of peace talks.
He told the Russian state-run Rossiya 24 TV channel:
“What the Americans are doing is pouring oil on the flames. I see only an attempt to raise the stakes, to aggravate the situation, to see more losses.”
Antonov informs us that an official note outlining the Kremlin’s concerns has been sent to Washinton through diplomatic channels, but no reply has been received so far.
He continued:
“We stressed the unacceptability of this situation when the United States of America pours weapons into Ukraine, and we demanded an end to this practice.”
When I hear language like this, it tells me that what we are doing is helping. It’s enabling the Ukrainians to defend themselves and push the invaders back. It’s a positive sign for the numerous western nations attempting to help beat back Russian aggression.
Russia warns of “unpredictable consequences” if the US does not stop arming Ukraine. Video courtesy of YouTube and CBS News.
Instead of backing down, the United States sent Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to Kyiv on Sunday. This is the first time since the start of the war that two such high-ranking US officials were on Ukrainian soil.
Blinken and Austin informed President Zelensky that another $322 million in military aid would be on the way. For those of you keeping score at home, that brings the total US cost of assistance since the invasion to $3.7 billion.
Just last Thursday, President Biden pledged another $800 million in weaponry for Ukraine, saying he would petition Congress for even more money to help support Ukrainian military efforts.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has told the world that the “special military operation” (he still refuses to call it a war) in Ukraine is necessary because the US was using Ukraine to threaten his country, and Moscow has to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people. Let that sink in for a second, friend. Putin blames us for his need to protect his people against persecution from Ukraine because we are using them as a proxy to do our bidding. This man has seriously lost his bearing on reality. And this is scary; people in that state of mind are capable of anything.
I’m starting to see a theme here. Putin says that Ukraine and Russia are essentially one people (When have we heard that one before? Hint, Germany 1938) and foresees confrontation with the United States as possible due to his perception that we are trying to strengthen the NATO presence in his part of the world.
To many in the west, it appears that Putin is trying his best at an old-school imperial land grab with possible designs on rebuilding the old Soviet Union. After all, there has been talk from the Kremlin of wanting to re-take Moldova.
He clearly wants the United States to stay out of HIS war, err…special military operation.
Ukraine says it is fighting an imperial-style land grab and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense. Zelensky has repeatedly pleaded with U.S. and European leaders to supply Kyiv with heavier arms and equipment. And on it goes.
Putin warned us in February that there would be no winners in a conflict between NATO and Russia, which has the world’s biggest arsenal of nuclear warheads. Five thousand, nine hundred and seventy-seven of them at last count.
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