Russia is trying to make the United States understand that Washington’s increasing involvement in the Ukraine conflict carries growing risks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Tuesday, according to Russian news agencies.
Moscow has repeatedly complained that Western military support for Ukraine is dragging out the conflict, now in its 10th month, while risking a possible direct confrontation between Russia and the West.
“We are sending signals to the Americans that their line of escalation and ever deeper involvement in this conflict is fraught with dire consequences. The risks are growing,” the Interfax news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying.
Kyiv and the West say Russia is to blame for any further escalation following what they say was Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory, and thinly veiled nuclear threats.
Ryabkov was cited as saying that there was no dialogue between Washington and Moscow, but that the two sides “periodically exchange signals.”
READ ALSO: UN Middle East envoy: West Bank reaching a ‘boiling point’
He was not aware of any contact through a specific US-Russia military hot line installed at the start of what Moscow calls “a special military operation,” he said.
A US official told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that a special “deconfliction” line between the Russian and US militaries had been used once since the start of the war.
“I am not aware of any deconfliction channel in relation to what is happening in Ukraine… We do not have any dialogue with the United States on the Ukraine topic because our positions are radically different,” Ryabkov was cited as saying.
According to a report, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia’s deputy foreign minister, stated on Tuesday that Moscow is attempting to convince the United States that the risks associated with Washington’s expanding engagement in the Ukraine war are increasing.
Moscow has frequently protested that Western military assistance to Ukraine is prolonging the crisis, which is now in its tenth month and putting Russia and the West at risk of a direct conflict.
Ryabkov was reported by the news agency Interfax as saying, “We are sending signals to the Americans that their line of escalation and ever deeper involvement in this conflict is fraught with dire consequences. The risks are growing.”
Following what they claim was Moscow’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the continued occupation of Ukrainian land, and veiled nuclear threats, Kyiv and the West blame Russia for any future escalation.
Ryabkov was quoted as adding that although Washington and Moscow “periodically exchange signals,” there is no conversation between the two.
He claimed he was unaware of any communication on a particular US-Russia military hotline set up at the start of what Moscow refers to as “a special military operation.”
The unique “deconfliction” line between the Russian and American armies has only been used once since the war began, a US official earlier on Tuesday told Reuters.
Original Post
