Kremlin bashes UK for ‘threatening’ European security
Responding to UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who said on Wednesday that countries opposed to the war in Ukraine must double down on their heavy weapons, tanks, and planes, Moscow has warned the UK that it is jeopardizing European security.
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Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov
Kremlin has warned London that by "pumping" weapons into Ukraine, the UK is jeopardizing European security.
The remark came after the British foreign secretary urged Western countries to provide Ukraine with "heavy weapons, tanks, and planes," while also strengthening Moldova and Georgia's defense capabilities.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that "the tendency itself to pump weapons, including heavy weapons, into Ukraine and other countries is something that threatens the continent’s security and provokes instability."
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss argued, on Wednesday, in opposition to the notion that “we shouldn’t provide heavy weapons for fear of provoking something worse,” that “inaction would be the greatest provocation” in the current circumstances.
Truss added that the "architecture that was designed to guarantee peace and prosperity has failed Ukraine," with the "economic and security structures that were developed after WWII and the Cold War" "bent out of shape."
The foreign secretary ordered "free nations" to be "more assertive and self-confident" in their strategies, assuming that "geopolitics is back."
Truss also claimed that the “war in Ukraine is our war,” with Kiev’s victory being a “strategic imperative” for the UK and its allies.
The West “must ensure that, alongside Ukraine, the Western Balkans and countries like Moldova and Georgia have the resilience and the capabilities to maintain their sovereignty and freedom,” she said.
If Finland and Sweden decide to join the military alliance, NATO should integrate them "as soon as possible," the top UK diplomat added.
Truss described the UK as a "risk-taker" that "has always stood up to bullies" and is "prepared to be bold," an apparent reference to Russia's previous warnings.
The Kremlin's reaction comes after Moscow's repeated condemnation of NATO arms deliveries to Ukraine.
Russia maintains that the shipments only jeopardize the country's prospects for peace.
The Kremlin also stated unequivocally that any military hardware deliveries into Ukraine would be considered a legitimate target.
“NATO is essentially going to war with Russia through a proxy and arming that proxy. War means war,” Lavrov said on Monday.
