Russian Minister of Defense Issues Warning, NATO's involvement in Ukraine May Cause Unpredictable Escalation

JAKARTA - Russia's Defense Minister said on Tuesday Western arms supplies to Ukraine had effectively dragged the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) into the conflict, warning this could lead to an unpredictable escalation".

"The US and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as long as possible," Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a conference call with military officials.

"To do this, they have started supplying heavy offensive weapons, openly urging Ukraine to seize our territory. In fact, such a move drags NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to unpredictable levels of escalation," he explained.

His allusion to "our territory" appears to refer to four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson, which Russia claims were annexed following a referendum last September that Kyiv and its Western allies condemned as illegitimate.

To date, most of these Russian-claimed territories remain in Ukrainian hands.

On the occasion, Defense Minister Shoigu also claimed that military operations near Vuhledar and the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, where Russia is intensifying its attacks, are "going well".

Previously, the fighting had focused for months around the Ukrainian-held town of Bakhmut in the eastern province of Donetsk, which the Russians were trying to encircle.

Moscow also launched an attack further south against Vuhledar, a Ukrainian-held stronghold at a strategic crossroads between the eastern and southern fronts.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the Western military alliance and NATO of playing a direct role in the Ukraine conflict by supplying weapons to Kyiv, warning that NATO weapons are "legitimate targets" for its armed forces.

The United States has delivered more than $20 billion worth of military aid to Ukraine since Russia's invasion last February, and is preparing to provide Kyiv with long-range rockets as part of a new $2 billion weapons package announced last week.

Meanwhile, Ukraine says weapons and other military equipment, including tanks, are urgently needed to deter Russian attacks and increase its firepower, in anticipation of a spring offensive by Moscow forces.

Ukrainian officials say Moscow is stockpiling weapons and reserve troops for a new offensive in the coming weeks.