NATO's increased arms to Kiev won't lead to Ukraine's success: Shoigu
Russia's Defense Minister says Russia is now in control of Nikolaevka, Dvorichna, Krasna Hora, Hryanykivka and Paraskoviivka in Donetsk and Kupyansk axes.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, attends a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (left), and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu (right) in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019. (AP)
Russia has repeatedly warned that the US and its allies’ military aid to Kiev is only prolonging the Ukrainian conflict.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said that NATO's increased arms supply to Kiev won't bring Ukraine success on the battlefield. "The support of the Kiev regime by NATO countries does not lead to the success of Ukrainian troops on the battlefield. On the contrary, there is a significant increase in losses among the personnel of the Ukrainian armed forces," Shoigu said at a meeting with the Russian armed forces' leadership on Tuesday.
Ukraine's losses increased by more than 40% in February alone and exceeded 11,000, the minister added.
One year into the #Ukraine war, the #Biden administration and the #US Congress have directed nearly more than $75 billion in assistance to Ukraine, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy. pic.twitter.com/qdf3KkuGBw
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) February 23, 2023
The United States and its allies increased their military supply to Kiev following the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Western countries have supplied air defense missiles, multiple launch rocket systems, tanks, self-propelled artillery, and anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against sending more weapons to Kiev, saying it further prolongs the war in Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry underscored that NATO countries are "playing with fire" by supplying Kiev with weapons and that any new arms convoy sent to Ukraine will be considered a legitimate target for the Russian forces.
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For his part, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that Western countries are directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. In addition, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that US aid packages are a direct path to escalating tensions, stressing that Westerm assistance will not change the course of events in Ukraine.
On the other hand, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Monday that the supply of F-16 fighter jets for Ukraine is still not considered by Washington and that the US stance on the matter has remained unchanged.
US President Joe Biden has ruled out multiple times Ukraine's request to be provided with F-16s. Biden stressed on January 31st his first "no" to sending the jets to Ukraine.
