The Russian embassy in Washington said in a statement on Wednesday that any delivery of U.S. Patriot missiles to Ukraine could “lead to unpredictable consequences” and threaten global security.
CNN quoted U.S. officials on Tuesday as saying the Biden administration was finalizing plans to send an advanced long-range air defense system to Ukraine to help counter Moscow’s attack.
“If this is confirmed, we will witness another provocative step [Biden] administration, which could lead to unpredictable consequences,” said a statement from the Russian embassy.
It added that continued arms deliveries to Ukraine in four Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to have annexed “will only reinforce the Zelensky regime’s sense of impunity and push it towards new crimes against civilians”.
The statement also criticized U.S. support for Ukraine, saying: “Washington’s strategy not only causes great damage to Russian-American relations, but also poses additional risks to global security.”
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any Patriot missiles sent to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russian forces, but added that the U.S. plan had not yet been confirmed.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Washington’s potential delivery would increase the risk of direct U.S. military involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, state news agency TASS reported.
“On December 13, the United States announced its intention to provide the Patriot air defense missile system to Ukraine. Previously, many experts, including overseas experts, questioned the rationality of this move, which would lead to an escalation of the conflict and increase the risk or directly drag the US military into the battle ,” Zakharova told a briefing in Moscow.
“We would like to reiterate that all weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are legitimate military targets of the Russian Armed Forces and, as our country has repeatedly stated, they will be eliminated or captured,” she said.
“Washington continues to press other NATO countries to contribute more to the militarization of Ukraine,” Zakharova said.