Bloomberg: US banned Kyiv from using Western weapons to strike deep into Russia
Key Points
The transfer of new weapons to Kiev implies compliance with the condition according to which the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) are prohibited from striking Russian territories, wrote in a column for Bloomberg. columnist Andreas Kluth
The author noted that even now Ukraine should not use the weapons of Western countries for strikes deep into Russia , since this could lead to a full-scale conflict.
According to him, the invasion of Russian territory would mean “crossing the red line” set by the Kremlin.
Help to Ukraine
On January 6, the United States provided Ukraine with $3 billion worth of weapons. This aid package was the largest ever since the outbreak of hostilities.
The new package includes infantry fighting vehicles, howitzers and armored personnel carriers, as well as surface-to-air missiles, and $225 million is intended to “build long-term capacity and modernize the Ukrainian armed forces,” Jean-Pierre added.
In addition, German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that Germany will transfer about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and an additional battery of Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Ukraine in the first quarter of 2023.
According to him, the BMP batch will be formed from the stocks of the manufacturer Marder and the German army. Hebeshtreit said that the Ukrainian military will be trained to operate the Marder in Germany, the training will take about eight weeks.
The representative of the German Cabinet also said that although the French authorities announced plans to transfer additional weapons to Ukraine before Germany and the United States, the three countries coordinated with each other the decision to allocate a new military aid package to Kiev.
Also, Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection Robert Habek said that Germany could supply Ukraine with Leopard battle tanks in the future. According to him, the country’s position on the issue of supplying weapons to Kyiv will change depending on the development of the course of hostilities in Ukraine.
Russia’s reaction
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine does not contribute to the resolution of the conflict, but only prolongs the suffering of the Ukrainian people. According to him, if the United States supplies Kiev with Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems, they will become legitimate targets for the Russian Armed Forces.
Russian Ambassador to Washington Anatoly Antonov commented on the US plans to transfer the Bradley BMP to Kiev and said that the US authorities do not want a political settlement around Ukraine, but only spur it to “new terrible deeds.”
Antonov believes that no one in the world should have any doubts about who is responsible for prolonging the current conflict. In his opinion, all the actions of the administration directly indicate a lack of desire for a political settlement.
The Russian Embassy in Germany condemned ‘s decision to Berlin supply Ukraine with Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
“We strongly condemn this decision and consider it as another step towards the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine,” the diplomatic mission said in a statement.
