Ambassador Antonov criticized the US for “deliberate escalation” by supplying long-range rockets and “inciting Ukraine to attack” Russian territory.
“The United States sees no boundaries in seeking to inflict strategic defeat on Russia. The transfer of increasingly powerful weapons to Ukraine is a deliberate escalation of the conflict by the United States,” Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly said. Antonov on February 3 commented on the decision to transfer long-range rockets to Ukraine.
Antonov said the US “is instigating Ukraine to attack Russian territory” with the decision to transfer the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), a weapon that combines M26 rockets and GBU-39 bombs with a range of 150 km.
Ambassador Antonov assessed the US decision “to place international authority, American taxpayer money and Ukrainian soldiers’ lives on ‘Ukrainian chess pieces'”. If this policy continues, the US could go as far as supplying Ukraine with fighter jets, which Antonov described as “absolute madness”.
The long-range rocket GLSDB leaves the launch pad. Graphics: SAAB.
“The deep patriotism of the Russian people, the courage of the servicemen and those who supported the army in the rear became our victory. That is why all attempts to harm Russia have failed. The sooner the US realizes this, the sooner the current conflict will end,” Antonov affirmed.
The US has not commented on the assessment of the Russian ambassador.
The Pentagon on February 3 announced a $2.2 billion aid package for Ukraine, including long-range rockets (GLSDB) that can be launched from the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MRLS) and the M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MRLS). M142 High Mobility Jet (HIMARS). This package brings the total amount of US military aid to Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022 to more than $ 29.3 billion.
The US announced a new aid package amid intense fighting between Ukraine and Russia taking place along the front lines. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the new batch of weapons “helps Ukraine defend itself” against Russia’s military campaign, and affirmed that Washington will continue to stand in solidarity with Kiev until Moscow ends the conflict.
American experts estimate it may take 9 months for the first batch of GLSDB long-range rockets to reach Ukraine. However, President Vladimir Putin earlier this week ordered the Russian military to “eliminate any possibility of a Ukrainian raid” on its territory.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed that the Russian military will push back Ukrainian forces “to a place where they cannot pose any threat”, and stated that “the larger the range of the weapons transferred to Ukraine, the greater the range of the military will be. Russia needs to go further.”
The Russian-Ukrainian War Department. Graphics: WP.
Nguyen Tien (Theo RT, TASS)