WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- Washington’s decision to send more military aid to Ukraine poses a threat to Moscow’s interests and increases the risk of a military clash between Russia and the West, said Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador to the United States.
“We perceive this as an immediate threat to the strategic interests of our country,” Antonov said on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday.
“The supply of military products by the U.S. and its allies not only entails protracted bloodshed and new casualties, but also increases the danger of a direct military clash between Russia and Western countries.”
His warning came as the United States said it was sending $625 million to Ukraine in additional weaponry, including High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers.
U.S. President Joe Biden spoke to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday as Ukraine continues an offensive in the country’s south and east to retake areas held by Russia.
Zelensky has claimed his forces were making “rapid and powerful” gains and had retaken “dozens” of villages on the two battlefronts.
Biden, who was joined in the call by Vice President Kamala Harris, stressed Washington’s continued support for Kyiv.
Biden “pledged to continue supporting Ukraine as it defends itself from Russian aggression for as long as it takes,” a statement from the White House said.
The military package is the first since Russia announced it was formally annexing four occupied areas of Ukraine following a series of referendums.
The White House said the arms – to be drawn immediately from existing U.S. military stockpiles – would include four more HIMARS precision rocket launchers, 32 Howitzers with 75,000 rounds of ammunition, 200 Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles and Claymore anti-personnel mines.
Ukraine is now trying to make inroads in the south and east before the colder weather arrives and Russia
into the case and an official report is yet to be published.
What started as peaceful protests took a violent turn after unruly protesters fatally attacked policemen and indulged in vandalism against public property in several cities, with fingers being pointed at rabble-rousers in the West.
“With its practical belief in democracy, the Islamic Republic of Iran has always paid heed to peaceful demands of people,” said Amir-Abdollahian.
“Foreign meddlers, organized agents, and terrorists, especially in Zahedan and west of Iran, changed the course of people’s peaceful protests towards violence, riot, and killing of innocent people as well as police and security forces,” he noted, referring to a terrorist attack last Friday in Zahedan, southeast Iran, which killed 19 people and left 20 others injured.
In accordance with its strong laws, Iran is committed to “a precise and fair investigation” into the death of Amini and is pursuing the matter seriously, the top Iranian diplomat informed his Italian counterpart.
For his part, Di Maio said Italy respects the sovereignty and laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to the foreign ministry statement.
Italy also believes that a response to peaceful demands is different from the one to riots and terrorism, he hastened to add.
Iran has blasted the role of foreign countries in orchestrating the deadly riots.
On Sunday, Iran’s intelligence ministry said it arrested nine foreign nationals from Germany, Poland, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, among others for involvement in the deadly riots, along with 256 members of foreign-based anti-Iran terrorist groups.
In a speech on Monday, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said the United States and the occupying regime of Israel and their mercenaries were behind the riots.
“I state it clearly that these developments were planned by America, the Zionist regime, and their acolytes. Their main problem is with a strong and independent Iran and the country’s progress,” he said during an event in the Iranian capital.
“The Iranian nation proved to be fairly strong during recent events and will bravely come onto the scene wherever necessary in the future.”