Firmly, Foreign Minister Lavrov: Western Weapons In Ukraine Are Provocative, Legitimate Targets Of The Russian Military

Illustration of Russian soldiers in Ukraine. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned Western countries that the arms aid they sent to Ukraine was provocative to prolong the conflict, becoming a legitimate target for attacks.

Ukraine is known to expect an increase in shipments of heavy weapons, to deal with the war with Russia as the focus of the attack shifts from Kyiv to the eastern Donbas region.

Foreign Minister Lavrov said the supply of advanced Western weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles, armored vehicles and advanced drones, was a provocative act.

According to him, such assistance is calculated to only prolong the conflict, not end it.

"These weapons will become legitimate targets for the Russian military acting in the context of special operations," Foreign Minister Lavrov said.

"Storage facilities in western Ukraine have been targeted more than once (by Russian troops). How could it be otherwise?" he added.

"NATO is, in effect, engaged in war with Russia through a proxy and arming that proxy. War means war," he stressed.

It is known that Moscow called its actions a 'special operation' to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. Meanwhile, Ukraine and the West say this is a false pretext for a war of unwarranted aggression by President Vladimir Putin. Foreign Minister Lavrov defended Moscow's actions, blaming Washington for the lack of dialogue.

"The United States has practically stopped all contacts just because we are obliged to defend Russia in Ukraine," explained Foreign Minister Lavrov, reiterating the reasons for Moscow's invasion of its southern neighbour.

Yesterday, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov also said his party had warned Washington not to send more weapons to Ukraine.

"We emphasize that this situation is unacceptable when the United States is pouring weapons into Ukraine, and we demand an end to this practice," said Anatoly Antonov in an interview with Rossiya 24 TV channel.

Antonov further said an official diplomatic note had been sent to Washington, expressing Russia's concerns regarding this matter.

It is reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Sunday evening, promising new aid worth US$713 million for the Zelensky Government and other countries in the region fearful of Russian aggression.

Earlier, President Joe Biden announced an additional $800 million in military aid to Ukraine, expanding the scope of the system provided to include heavy artillery.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its third month, the biggest offensive in a European country since 1945 that left thousands dead or injured, turned cities into rubble and forced more than 5 million people to flee abroad.