West supplies Kiev with offensive weapons, violates Minsk agreement
3 Min Read
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, says the West is violating Minsk agreements by supplying Ukraine with offensive weapons.
-
Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia
Russian Permanent Representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, affirmed Wednesday that the West is pumping up Ukraine with offensive, not defensive, weapons, in violation of the Minsk agreements.
"You know that Western partners, in violation of the Minsk agreements, are supplying Kyiv with weapons, and not at all defensive, but offensive," Nebenzia told the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
"You know about the amassing of Ukrainian armed forces on the demarcation line," he added.
The Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleskii Reznikov revealed on February 4 that the Ukrainian military has already received weapons from the United States as part of their latest military aid package.
By the end of December 2021, the Biden administration approved sending a security package worth $200 million to Ukraine, which includes lethal defensive assistance such as Javelin anti-tank missiles and ammunition.
🦾 USA-Boryspil-Military polygon
— Oleksii Reznikov (@oleksiireznikov) February 4, 2022
🪖Weapons from our partners are already on the shooting range
🛬 Meanwhile, we are waiting for the next bird 🇺🇦🤝🇺🇸 @ArmedForcesUkr @DeptofDefense @SecDef pic.twitter.com/p70sEhdsLn
Germany blocks military equipment to Ukraine
It is noteworthy that Germany blocked its NATO ally Estonia from providing Ukraine with German-made military equipment in light of the latter's efforts to strengthen its armed forces against the backdrop of alleged concerns over Russia.
The new government in Berlin is continuing to pursue the previous administration's policy on the non-supply of weapons to Ukraine, reaffirming its commitment to the idea, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
"We do not support the export of lethal weapons from Germany," Scholz told reporters following a cabinet meeting.
Berlin has been actively working toward a de-escalation of the situation around Ukraine, the Chancellor highlighted, calling on Moscow to reduce its alleged military presence on the border.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned German Ambassador Anka Feldhusen to express disappointment over Berlin's refusal to supply Kievv with arms.
On her part, the head of the German Parliament's Defense Committee, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, warned Ukraine that it should stop throwing around criticism about what it sees as Berlin's "unfair" refusal to supply it with weapons.
Germany argued that shipments of arms would not ease the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
The US is increasingly militarizing Eastern Europe under the pretext that Russia is preparing for military operations in Ukraine.
Russia denies such plans and demands comprehensive security guarantees, including a NATO pledge never to allow Ukraine to join it.
