(Dan Tri) – Russia is ready for confrontation if NATO intends to join the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Photo: TASS).
In an interview with German newspaper Welt am Sonntag over the weekend, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that peace in Ukraine is not simply freezing the conflict and accepting an agreement under the conditions offered by Moscow.
Responding to this comment by the NATO leader, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said: `If NATO once again declares that it opposes freezing the conflict, let them participate in the war. We are ready for that scenario. We refuse
Moscow has long accused the US and its NATO allies of arming Ukraine, turning them into cards to confront Russia.
Foreign Minister Lavrov said that the West’s continued supply of weapons to Ukraine shows that the West is a direct participant in the hybrid war against Russia.
According to Mr. Lavrov, while some Western leaders began to look more `sober` at the nature of the conflict in Ukraine, Kiev continued to call for military aid.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict is about to enter its 17th month and shows no signs of cooling down.
Both Russia and Ukraine have stated that they do not support the option of freezing the conflict.
Kiev stated that the prerequisite for peace talks to end the fighting is that Russia must withdraw all its troops from Ukrainian territory.
The Kremlin accuses Kiev of not being willing to negotiate and that Russia currently has no choice but to use a military solution to complete the campaign goals set out in Ukraine.
Russia draws a red line
On the same day, the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of planning to attack the Crimean peninsula with HIMARS artillery and long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
`According to our data, the command of the Ukrainian armed forces is planning to raid Russian territories, including the Crimean peninsula, with HIMARS rocket artillery and Storm Shadow missiles,` the Minister of State said.
The Crimean peninsula joined Russia in 2014 after a controversial referendum.
Mr. Shoigu warned that if the above weapons are used outside the special military operation area, Russia will immediately respond to Ukraine’s decision-making centers.
Minister Shoigu also emphasized that if the above scenario occurs, Russia will consider this move to mean that the US and UK have completely participated in the Ukraine conflict.
HIMARS and Storm Shadow are weapons provided by the US and UK to Kiev, helping the Ukrainian army raid Russian targets deep behind the front lines.