The Pentagon unveiled a new $275 million aid package for Ukraine on Friday
Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov speaks to the media at the State Duma, Moscow, Russia. © Sputnik/Ilya Pitalev
Washington is not interested in pursuing peace in Europe and only prolongs the suffering of Vladimir Zelensky’s regime, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, told journalists, commenting on the latest US weapons package for Ukraine.
The US Defense Department revealed a $275 million aid package for Kiev on Friday, to address its “urgent battlefield needs,” as the Ukrainian armed forces are losing ground in Donbass and Kharkov Region.
“It is emblematic,” Antonov said, that “the US announces this supply of deadly products from the local defense industry on the very same day when the Russian leadership clearly and unequivocally confirmed its readiness for negotiations.”
“Washington does not want peace in Europe. It is doing everything to prolong the conflict and increase casualties on the Russian and Ukrainian sides, including among civilians.”
Meanwhile, Washington has hinted that it could greenlight “missile strikes deep into the Russian territory,” he added. He urged Washington to recognize the situation “on the ground,” and “stop trying to prolong the agony of its pet regime.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated that Moscow is ready to return to the negotiating table, provided that talks are based on the current realities on the ground.
“But with whom to negotiate? That’s a peculiar question, I agree,” he told journalists on Friday, noting that “the legitimacy of the incumbent head of the [Ukrainian] state has expired.”
It’s up to Ukraine’s legal system, its parliament, constitutional court, and other bodies to determine how to move forward, Putin said.
Zelensky’s term as president expired on Monday, with no elections scheduled due to martial law, which was introduced soon after the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022.