Ukraine conflict striking example of US habit of abandoning own allies, says Hezbollah official

As fighting between Ukrainian and Russian military forces rage, a senior official with the Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement has referred to the ongoing crisis as an example of Washington’s habit of betraying and abandoning its allies.

Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, head of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, said in a ceremony on Friday that it will be tragically wrong to place bets on US support, stressing that Lebanon and the entire Middle East region will head off the existing conflicts once they are truly liberating from the clutches of US hegemony.

“The United States tends to change course and give up assistance, when it realizes its interests are at stake,” Safieddine highlighted.

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He added that the United States and some European countries initially provoked Ukraine, but later withdrew their support and the Kiev movement is confronting the Russian military campaign alone.

“US President Joe Biden, having seen how serious the matter is, has announced that he would not be sending forces into Ukraine,” the top Hezbollah official said.

“This is an undeniable fact about the United States as we know here in Lebanon. How many times has it shunned those whom it has deceived and given empty promises to? It has dragged them to the abyss of sedition in Lebanon and then abandoned them,” Safieddine pointed out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced the launch of an operation to eliminate what he called a serious threat to his country, citing the need to "denazify" Ukraine and accusing its Western-backed leadership of genocide against Russian-speakers in eastern Ukraine.

Western countries have announced a barrage of sanctions on Russia, including blacklisting its banks and banning technology exports. But they have stopped short of forcing it out of the SWIFT system for international bank payments, because it would harm their own economies.

At the United Nations, Russia vetoed a draft Security Council resolution deploring its operation.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin says it will be easier for the Kremlin to negotiate peace with the Ukrainian armed forces if they "take power" in the country.

The White House asked Congress for $6.4 billion in security package, officials said, and Biden instructed the US State Department to release $350 million in military aid.

At least 198 Ukrainians, including three children, have been killed so far, the head of the Ukrainian health ministry was quoted as saying on Saturday. 

He said 1,115 people were wounded, including 33 children. It was unclear whether he was referring only to civilian casualties.

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