Antonov: US drags out war in Ukraine to sell weapons, gas
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The Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov says that Washington is profiting from dragging out war in Ukraine.
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Russian and Ukrainian delegations during the last round of talks earlier in March
Russia's Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov explained that Washington is dragging out the war in Ukraine to continue their sales of arms and LNG (liquefied natural gas).
"The White House cannot escape responsibility for prolonging the conflict and killing innocent people. However, the United States continues with its maniacal persistence to adhere to the tactics of war of attrition by exhausting everyone - Ukrainians, Russians, Europeans as well as ordinary Americans," Antonov stated.
Read more: Russian leadership, including Putin, still ready for talks on Ukraine
"There are several reasons for this, one of them being the presence of economic interest. The desire to ‘skim the cream’ through the mass sale of military equipment and LNG supplies: Only business, nothing personal," said the ambassador, adding that the US is fighting Russia "until the last Ukrainian."
Antonov: Ukraine's decision-maker located elsewhere
Antonov noted that US officials say that the United States will not engage in dialogue with Moscow over Ukraine without Kiev's participation, claiming that the decision on when to launch the negotiations is up to Ukraine.
"It is not clear what these words have more of - hypocrisy or banal unwillingness to admit one's own mistakes," the ambassador stated.
Antonov added that "the decision-making center on the fate of Ukraine is located somewhere, but not in Kiev. Everyone could see this in March, when one shout from Washington was enough for the [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky regime to nullify all the agreements reached during intensive contacts between the two countries."
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On Sunday, according to a report published by The Washington Post, US President Joe Biden's administration was secretly pressing Kiev to demonstrate a willingness to negotiate with Moscow.
In late September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow was still open to talks with Kiev and called on Ukraine to stop the hostilities. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, stated that Kiev was ready for dialogue with Moscow, but only if another president came to power in Russia.
It's worth noting that the last round of talks between Russia and Ukraine took place in Turkey earlier in March, however, the negotiations were halted following US pressure to end engagement with Moscow.
