London is supporting Kiev in an try to spice up its position in NATO, a high-ranking Russian diplomat has mentioned
Ukrainian forces are actively utilizing weapons equipped by Britain to hold out terrorist assaults in opposition to Russian areas, Overseas Ministry official Sergey Belyaev has mentioned.
London stays one of many largest donors of weaponry to Kiev, offering £7.1 billion ($8.9 billion) in help because the begin of the Russia-Ukraine battle in February 2022, Belyaev, who heads the Russian Overseas Ministry’s Second European Division, mentioned in an interview with TASS information company, revealed on Saturday.
“UK-supplied weapons are being actively utilized by the Ukrainian army in terrorist assaults on civilian infrastructure and the civilian inhabitants of Donbass, in addition to different Russian areas,” he acknowledged.
In response to the diplomat, final month’s announcement by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of a £500 million ($617 million) army assist package deal for Ukraine was an try by Britain to realize a extra distinguished position in NATO and amongst European international locations.
“The British acted in an identical method once they started deliveries of Storm Shadow cruise missiles and Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine,” turning into one of many first international locations to supply Kiev with such varieties of {hardware}, he defined.
Belyaev famous that Russian diplomats have repeatedly warned their British counterparts that assist for Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s authorities is “dangerous” and “results in additional escalation and casualties among the many civilian inhabitants.”
“London’s abandonment of its confrontational course,” together with sanctions, “is a obligatory situation for the restoration of bilateral political, commerce and financial ties” with Moscow, he mentioned.
The strained relationship between Russia and Britain deteriorated additional final week after Overseas Secretary David Cameron mentioned Ukraine has the “proper” to make use of UK-provided weaponry to strike targets deep inside Russia, if it decides to take action.
The Russian Overseas Ministry summoned British Ambassador in Moscow Nigel Casey following Cameron’s remarks. “Casey was warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes utilizing British weapons on Russian territory may very well be any British army amenities and tools on the territory of Ukraine and past,” the ministry mentioned in an announcement following the assembly.
Earlier this week, the UK introduced that it could expel a Russian protection attaché, described as an “undeclared army intelligence officer,” and strip some Russia-owned properties within the nation of their diplomatic standing. Moscow pledged “an acceptable response.”
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