US supply of advanced weapons to exacerbate Ukraine war: Russia
Russia warns the United States against supplying advanced air defense systems to Ukraine, saying the move will only exacerbate the conflict, which is now in its eighth month.
President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Tuesday that the continuation of US weapon supplies to Ukraine "will only drag the conflict out and make it more painful for the Ukrainian side, but it will not change our goals and the end result."
On Monday, US President Joe Biden told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that Washington had agreed to his request to provide advanced air defense systems.
The US has supplied Kiev with more than $16.8 billion worth of security assistance since Russia launched its military campaign against Ukraine on February 24.
Earlier this month, Russia warned that Washington would cross a "red line" and become "a party to the conflict" if it supplied Ukraine with longer-range missiles. The Pentagon, however, said late last month that it was committed to sending another 18 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to Ukraine.
The US has already delivered 16 of the systems, capable of hitting targets with a range of up to 300 kilometers, according to its manufacturer, Lockheed Martin.
'US deeply involved in conflict'
Peskov also said, "The US de facto has become deeply involved."
His remarks echoed those of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who said on Tuesday that Washington had "been participating de facto in this war for a long time."
"This war is being controlled by the Anglo-Saxons," Lavrov said.
The top Russian diplomat dismissed earlier remarks by White House national security spokesman John Kirby, who had said the US administration was open to talks but that Russia had refused.
"This is a lie," Lavrov said. "We have not received any serious offers to make contact."
He said that Moscow was willing to engage with the United States or with Turkey on ways to end the war, but had yet to receive any serious proposal to negotiate.
He also said Moscow would not turn down a proposal for a meeting between Putin and Biden at a mid-November summit of the Group of 20 in Indonesia, and would consider the proposal if it received it.
"We have repeatedly said that we never refuse meetings. If there is a proposal, then we will consider it," he said.
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