US not in 'proxy war' with Russia in Ukraine: Menendez

US Democratic senator Bob Menendez speaks at the US Capitol on April 26, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Photo via AFP)

Democratic senator Bob Menendez says the US will continue to assist Ukraine and "defeat Russia" in the conflict, which he denies to be a proxy war between Washington and Moscow.

Menendez, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told NBC News on Sunday that Congress “will do what it takes” to ensure a Ukrainian victory over Russia.

“Ukraine is a test for the west, it’s a test for international order,” he said

“Can one country — this case Russia under [President Vladimir] Putin — erase the borders of Europe [or] change a country by force?” he asked.

Menendez claimed that Russia may try to seize other countries if Putin is victorious in Ukraine.

“At the end of the day,” he added, “we don’t want to see Russia go into Moldova or a NATO country.”

He made the remarks after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said last week that a key US goal in arming Ukraine is to “weaken” Russia.

Putin, however, has warned about the risks of a nuclear conflict in the region if Washington and its NATO allies continue pumping weapons into Ukraine.

The Biden administration has provided nearly $3.4 billion in assistance to Ukraine since Russia launched the military campaign in late February.

He requested an additional $33.4 billion in Ukraine aid from Congress last week.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also warned the West against arming Ukraine, saying that the US-led military alliance “is engaged in a war with Russia through a proxy.”

He warned that the dangers of a nuclear conflict are now “considerable.”

Meanwhile, US Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Samantha Power warned on Sunday that the impacts of the conflict in Ukraine has become something of a World War “in terms of effects."

"Listening to you layout these consequences, it’s hard not to conclude that in some respects this has already become something of a world war,” Stephanopoulos said.

Russia, which calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special operation” to “denazify” its neighbor, says the West was sabotaging its peace talks with Ukraine.


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