The risk of escalating the conflict in Ukraine would be considerably heightened if the US provides Kiev with long-range multiple launch rocket systems, Russia’s ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, warned on Friday. Earlier, several US media outlets reported that the Biden administration had given the green light to the deliveries.
When asked for comment on the claims, Antonov said the allegations have to be verified first, and that so far, no official announcement had been made by US officials.
The ambassador expressed hope that “common sense will prevail, and Washington will not take such a provocative step,” adding that he and his colleagues from the Russian Foreign Ministry had repeatedly warned the US leadership that the “unprecedented pumping” of weapons into Ukraine “considerably increases risks of an escalation of the conflict.”
Antonov said that if the media reports are true, and the Biden administration intends to send M270 MLRS and M142 HIMARS systems to Kiev, the Ukrainian military would have the ability to strike Russian cities – which he described as unacceptable for Moscow.