Russia issued a formal diplomatic notice to the United States and its NATO allies, warning that continuing to provide military assistance to Ukraine was “adding fuel” to the conflict and could bring “unpredictable consequences.”
The notice came days after President Joe Biden approved an additional $750 million in military aid to Ukraine. The assistance included Howitzer cannons, helicopters, portable anti-aircraft weapons, armored tanks, and millions of rounds of ammunition.
“It’s the first time that we’ve provided these [155mm] howitzers and the associated rounds, and that’s reflective of the kind of fighting that the Ukrainians are expecting to be faced with here in this more confined geographic area,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters last Wednesday.
Biden echoed that sentiment in a public statement on the same day, saying the latest shipment would include “new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine.”
Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks told reporters that the Pentagon was looking to provide Ukraine with weapons that would “give them a little more range and distance.”
Since President Biden took office in January of 2021, the United States has sent $2.4 billion worth of military aid, with the majority coming after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, confirmed on Friday that the notice, known in diplomatic circles as a démarche, had not only been sent to the United States; similar warnings were issued to all governments worldwide.
The document, titled “On Russia’s concerns in the context of massive supplies of weapons and military equipment to the Kyiv regime,” was written in Russian with a translation provided and was forwarded to the State Department by the Russian Embassy in Washington.
Russia accused the allies of violating “rigorous principles” regarding the transfer of weapons and ignoring “the threat of high-precision weapons falling into the hands of radical nationalists, extremists and bandit forces in Ukraine.”
Among the items Russia identified as concerns were “multiple launch rocket systems.” However, the United States and its NATO allies are not believed to have provided those to Ukraine.
It continued by accusing NATO of attempting to sabotage what have so far been unsuccessful negotiations between Russia and Ukraine “in order to continue the bloodshed.”
“We call on the United States and its allies to stop the irresponsible militarization of Ukraine, which implies unpredictable consequences for regional and international security,” the document read.
Despite Russia’s protests, the U.S. shows no signs of slowing down its military support to Ukraine. Pentagon officials met with defense contractors this week to discuss how to increase the production of the systems and weapons that Ukraine will need to continue fighting.
“This [meeting] was really focused on the kind of systems and weapons that have been relevant in the Ukraine war,” Kirby said, “[as well as] the possibility for accelerating some of those production lines and expanding based on the heavy draw on our inventory.”