In light of Washington’s signal that it was okay with Kyiv using Western weapons to attack the Russian-controlled Crimea, a Russian official claims that the United States is encouraging Ukraine to carry out terrorist attacks against Russia.
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian Ambassador to the United States, responded on Wednesday to remarks made by Ned Price, a spokesman for the United States State Department. Price had stated just a few hours earlier that it was up to Kyiv to decide whether to use Western weapons against Russian forces in Crimea, which was Ukrainian territory before it was annexed by Russia.
“We observe that American officials’ rhetoric is becoming increasingly violent. “The State Department actually encourages the Kyiv regime to commit terrorist acts in Russia through their detached statements that “Crimea is Ukraine” and “the Armed Forces of Ukraine can use American weapons to protect their territory,” according to Antonov.
Following a referendum that Kyiv had deemed illegal, Crimea declared independence from Ukraine on March 17, 2014, and formally applied to be under Russian sovereignty. The area was later annexed by Moscow.
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Price told reporters on Wednesday that Ukraine was deciding for itself how to use Western weapons in its war with Russia.
He stated, “Ultimately, it’s up to our Ukrainian partners to decide how and where to use these supplies and weapons to defend their territory.”
Price stated that although Ukraine and the United States did not recognize Crimea as Russian territory, Washington would not support or encourage Ukraine to attack Russia.
Antonov retorted by stating that such remarks would inspire “criminals in Kyiv” to “once again feel complete permissiveness.”
He stated, “The risks of the conflict escalating will only intensify.”
“The American HIMARS multiple-launch rocket systems and, in the not-too-distant future, Bradley infantry fighting vehicles may be involved in the offensive toward the Crimea. Antonov said, referring to US-made weapons that Kyiv received, “The commentators naively believe that Russia will not respond to strikes on its territory.”
Over the perceived threat of Ukraine joining NATO, Russia launched what it called “a special military operation” against the country at the end of February. Since then, the United States of America and other allies of Ukraine have given Kyiv weapons worth tens of billions of dollars, such as rocket systems, drones, armored vehicles, tanks, and communication systems. Numerous economic sanctions have also been imposed on Moscow by Western nations.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that a number of unidentified US officials said that the administration of US President Joe Biden was beginning to concede that Kyiv may need the power to strike Crimea, despite the fact that doing so would increase the risk of an escalation, following months of discussions with Ukrainian officials.
The Crimean Peninsula is home to numerous Russian military bases and tens of thousands of dug-in Russian troops. It is located between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
According to the report, the White House had come to the conclusion that if the Ukrainian military could pose a threat to Russia’s control of Crimea, it would strengthen Kyiv’s position in any subsequent peace talks.
The risk remained, despite the fact that fears that Moscow would respond with a tactical nuclear weapon had subsided, according to the report.
source: NYTimes
