MOSCOW (Dispatches) - A senior Russian official said on Wednesday that the West of is ramping up political pressure on Moscow by supplying weapons and ammunition to support Ukraine.
Countries such as the United States and Britain have supplied military aid to Ukraine that has included anti-tank missiles and launchers. Others, such as Germany, have sent helmets, shunning lethal aid.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the military supplies to Ukraine amounted to Western “blackmail and pressure”.
“Everything happening in terms of pumping Ukraine with equipment, ammunition, military hardware including lethal weapons is an attempt to put additional political pressure on us, as well as probably military technical pressure,” Ryabkov was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency.
Ukraine’s desire to move closer to the West politically is widely seen abroad as one of Moscow’s main concerns as it seeks security guarantees from the West that would veto Kyiv’s accession to NATO and halt the military alliance’s expansion.
RIA quoted him as saying that if Washington seriously considered such supplies, it would reduce the odds of a political diplomatic resolution to the standoff.
NATO members Britain and Poland have also agreed to directly send arms to Ukraine, including handguns, ammunition, and anti-tank weapons. The U.S. military has also placed 8,500 troops on heightened alert to prepare for deployment in Eastern Europe and bolster the NATO presence in the region. The U.S. State Department has also approved shipments of U.S.-made missiles and other weapons from NATO allies Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia to Ukraine.
Britain is also considering deploying fighter jets and warships to Southeastern Europe.
American and Russian diplomats held talks to resolve the crisis over Ukraine in January but failed to make a breakthrough. However, they agreed to continue the talks.
Russia has demanded legally binding guarantees from NATO that it will halt its eastward expansion and return to its 1997 borders. Moscow also demanded that the military alliance never admit Ukraine as a member.