US Sends Rockets To Ukraine, Moscow Official: Deliberately Sprinkles Fuel On Fire, Increases Risk Of Direct Confrontation With Russia

JAKARTA - Two senior Russian officials have criticized the United States' decision to send advanced rockets to Ukraine as part of the latest arms aid announced, saying it increases the risk of direct confrontation between the two countries.

"We believe that the United States intentionally and diligently added fuel to the fire," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Asked how Russia would respond if Ukraine used US-supplied rockets to attack Russian territory, Peskov said: "Don't talk about the worst-case scenario".

US President Joe Biden has agreed to provide Ukraine with an advanced rocket system, which can strike with precision at Russian long-range targets as part of a new aid package for Kyiv to defend itself.

A senior official with President Biden's administration said the new supplies, which come on top of billions of dollars worth of equipment such as drones and anti-aircraft missiles, include the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which Kyiv says is essential to countering Russian missile attacks.

Addressing concerns that weapons like HIMARS could pull the United States into direct conflict, Jonathan Finer, the White House's deputy national security adviser, said Washington had sought Ukraine's assurances that missiles would not strike inside Russia.

"We have asked for Ukrainian assurances that they will not use this system to attack inside Russia. This is a defensive conflict that Ukraine is engaged in. Russian troops are on their territory," Finer said in an interview with CNN.

However, Peskov said Moscow did not trust such guarantees. He said he was assessing the risk of rockets fired into Russian territory and taking appropriate action, but viewed Washington's move as "very negative."

He further said such supplies would not encourage the Ukrainian leadership to resume stalled peace talks.

Separately, state news agency RIA Novosti quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying, when asked about the prospect of direct confrontation between the United States and Russia: "Any continued arms shipments, which are on the rise, increase the risk of such a development."

Previously, Ukrainian officials had asked allies for a long-range missile system that could fire a barrage of rockets hundreds of miles away, in the hope of turning the tide of the war.