The Russian government responded to US President Biden’s announcement to send new long-range missiles to Ukraine, saying that the West’s actions seek to prolong the war.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused the United States of intentionally adding “fuel to the fire” by delivering weapons to Kyiv.
“Such supplies do not contribute to the Ukrainian leadership’s willingness to resume peace negotiations,” he added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also weighed in on President Bident’s announcement, saying the US deliveries increased the risk of dragging a third country into the conflict.
US officials claimed that the long-range missiles that their government would deliver to Ukraine would help local troops defend against their enemy troops more precisely from a longer distance.
According to Deputy Defense Secretary Dr. Colin H Kahl, the weapons package includes four M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) that can launch multiple guided missiles at targets up to 70km away.
“These are precision guided systems with extended range. And so for high value targets that allow them to keep some of the pressure off of Ukrainian forces on the front, we think these systems will be very useful,” Dr. Kahl added.
The US government first said it was not considering providing weapons to Ukrainian troops to prevent them from being used against targets in Russia. “We are not going to send to Ukraine rocket systems that can strike into Russia,” Mr. Biden wrote in a statement.
But the US president changed his mind, arguing that Ukraine’s authorities had guaranteed it would not happen.
On Wednesday, Biden said delivering weapons to Ukraine would strengthen the country’s negotiating position against neighboring Russia and move both sides closer to a solution.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed his American counterpart’s statements during an interview for US outlet Newsmax.
“We’re not interested in what is happening in Russia. We’re only interested in our own territory in Ukraine,” he said.
Russian officials’ remarks come after the German government also promised to send an air defense system to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said they would send the country’s most modern IRIS-T system, which can help Ukraine defend an entire city from Russian attacks.
