Russia threatens America with 'unpredictable consequences' if US doesn't stop arming Ukraine

Russia has sent an official diplomatic note to the United States warning that US and NATO deliveries of weapons systems to Ukraine "add fuel to the fire" and could lead to "unpredictable consequences." Read more about this publication The Washington Post.

Photo: Shutterstock

The diplomatic demarche comes after U.S. President Joe Biden approved a dramatic expansion in the range of weapons supplied to Ukraine, an $800 million package including 155mm howitzers (a major upgrade to long-range artillery), coastal defense drones and armored vehicles, and additional man-portable anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons. funds, millions of rounds of ammunition.

The United States, among other things, facilitated the delivery of long-range air defense systems to Ukraine, including the supply by Slovakia of Soviet-made S-300 launchers, on which Ukrainian forces have already been trained. In return, the administration has announced that the United States is deploying a Patriot missile system in Slovakia and is consulting with Slovakia on a long-term replacement.

The arms shipment, the first wave of which U.S. officials say will arrive in Ukraine within days, follows an urgent call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for Biden as Russian forces are reportedly mobilizing for a major offensive into the Donbass in eastern Ukraine and along coastal strip connecting it with Russian-occupied Crimea to the south.

Russian troops, after humiliating defeats, have largely withdrawn from most of the northern region of the country, including from the capital city of Kyiv.

“What the Russians are telling us privately is the same thing we have been telling the world publicly: the huge amount of aid we are providing to our Ukrainian partners is proving to be extremely effective,” a senior administration official said on condition of anonymity.

Russian experts have suggested that Moscow, which has labeled incoming arms convoys as legitimate military targets but has yet to attack them, may be preparing to do so.

On the subject: 'We will throw both you and the dog from the balcony': how Russia is persecuting opponents of the war in Ukraine

“They targeted supply depots in Ukraine itself, where some of these supplies were stored,” said George Beebe, a former director of Russia analysis at the CIA and adviser on Russia to former Vice President Dick Cheney. “The real question is whether they will go beyond trying to aim weapons at the warehouses, whether they will try to hit the supply convoys themselves and possibly NATO countries on the periphery of Ukraine,” which serve as transshipment points for supplies from the United States.

If Russian troops stumble in the next phase of the war, as they did in the first, “then I think the chances of Russia targeting NATO supplies on NATO territory are much higher,” Beebe said. “There was an assumption in many countries that we could supply the Ukrainians really without restrictions and not bear a significant risk of retribution from Russia. I think the Russians are trying to show that this is not true.”

The diplomatic note was dated April 12, when information was first leaked about a new arms package that brought the total amount of U.S. military aid provided to Ukraine after Russia's February 24 invasion to $3,2 billion, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby. Biden said the aid would include "new capabilities tailored to the broader offensive we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine."

A document titled "On Russia's Concern over Massive Supplies of Arms and Military Equipment to the Kiev Regime," written in Russian with translation provided, was sent to the State Department by the Russian embassy in Washington.

Among the items Russia identified as those of "most concern" were "multiple rocket launchers," though the United States and its NATO allies are not believed to have supplied these weapons to Ukraine. Russia accused the allies of violating "harsh principles" of transferring weapons to conflict zones and of ignoring the "threat of high-precision weapons falling into the hands of radical nationalists, extremists and bandit formations in Ukraine."

Russia has accused NATO of trying to put pressure on Ukraine to “give up” on fruitless and so far unsuccessful talks with Russia. The document says Washington is pressuring other countries to end all military and technical cooperation with Russia and those with Soviet-era weapons to hand them over to Ukraine.

“We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which entails unpredictable consequences for regional and international security,” the diplomatic note says.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

Andrew Weiss, former director of the National Security Council for Russian, Ukrainian, and Eurasian Affairs and now vice president of research at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his February morning speech, when invasion, warned that Western nations would face "consequences more severe than those you have experienced in history" if they became involved in the conflict.

According to Weiss, attention at the time was focused on Putin's reminder that Russia had a powerful nuclear arsenal, but it was also "a very clear warning not to send weapons into a war zone."

A Russian attack on arms shipments would be “a very important escalation step primarily because it poses a threat to the West if they fail to ensure the flow of supplies to Ukraine, which in turn could reduce Ukraine’s ability to defend itself.” The risk "should not be underestimated," he said, noting the additional risk that an attempt to strike a convoy inside Ukraine could go wrong and enter NATO territory.

US Department of Defense officials remain concerned about the possibility of such attacks.

“We do not take any transfer of weapons and systems to Ukraine for granted,” Kirby said.

He said that Ukrainian troops themselves bring weapons into Ukraine after the United States delivers them to the border region with the country, and "the less we talk about it, the better."

Read also on ForumDaily:

'Higher than the Empire State Building': what was and how the highest wave on Earth was formed

Top 10 of the most beautiful waterfalls of California

How to get the perfect credit rating

How to Prepare for a Naturalization Test on the Go: Useful Tools

Alcohol and Oncology: How Drinking Affects Your Risk of Cancer

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.