Russia warns US against weapons supply to Ukraine: 'Edging closer to direct confrontation'

Russia has asked the United States to immediately halt supplying long-range weaponry to Ukraine, noting that Washington was edging closer to "direct confrontation" with Moscow over its involvement in the ongoing special military operation. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov hurled prospects of a nuclear launch, saying that Moscow envisages the use of nuclear weapons in case of a threat to its sovereign or territorial integrity. Russia's military doctrine allows the use of nuclear weapons in case of aggression against its soil, he maintained.  

Ryabkov warned that "a very narrow margin that separates the US from becoming a party to the conflict mustn't create an illusion for rabid anti-Russian forces that everything will remain as it is if they cross it," according to Associated Press.

The renewed deterrent forces threat by the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister comes just a day after Moscow-based military expert Alexander Perendzhiev echoed similar warnings, saying that any intervention in the ongoing "military operation" in Ukraine by either the United States or the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) will change the course of the war, and will turn to a direct confrontation with the US. 

Brigadier General Mark Arnold of the US military soared tensions with the Kremlin in an interview with the Ukrainian Channel 24 wherein he called on the Biden administration and NATO to transfer more weapons to Ukrainian forces "that would allow them to strike deep into Russia." 

'We have repeatedly warned US about consequences': Russian Deputy FM

Reacting to the US supply of advanced weaponry and approval of military aid, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: “We have repeatedly warned the US about the consequences that may follow if it continues to flood Ukraine with weapons. It effectively puts itself in a state close to what can be described as a party to the conflict.” The Russian minister also asserted that Moscow's invading troops will push their offensive deeper into Ukraine until their "goals are met." "Russia is capable of fully defending its interests, and the goals of the special military operation will be fully achieved,” Ryabkov asserted.

Moscow has constantly accused the United States of a direct role in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, arguing that CIA spies have been coordinating the Ukrainian missile strikes on Russian troops. Russia's Ministry of Defense made references to remarks made by Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine’s deputy head of military intelligence, about how the Ukrainian armed forces used US-supplied long-range HIMARS rocket launch systems to counterstrike Russia's soldiers. These strikes were based on "excellent satellite imagery and real-time information," he revealed.

Washington coordinates HIMARS missile strikes with Kyiv to attack Moscow, Russian MoD claimed, in context to Skibitsky's statements. "All this undeniably proves that Washington, contrary to White House and Pentagon claims, is directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine," the defence ministry of the Russian Federation said.