Weapons deliveries to Ukraine threaten European security: Kremlin

The Kremlin said Thursday that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine were dangerous for European security.

“The tendency to pump weapons, including heavy weapons into Ukraine, these are the actions that threaten the security of the continent, provoke instability,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov was responding to comments made by Britain’s Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Wednesday, calling on Kyiv’s allies to “ramp up” military production, including tanks and planes, to help Ukraine.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pleading for heavier firepower to push back the Russian advance in the east, but allies are wary of being drawn into a conflict that could spiral into an outright military confrontation between Moscow and NATO.

Separately on Thursday, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the West against testing Russia’s patience.

“In the West, they are openly calling on Kyiv to attack Russia including with the use of weapons received from NATO countries,” Zakharova told reporters in Moscow.

“I don’t advise you to test our patience further.”

Russia’s defense ministry said on Tuesday that if such attacks continued then Moscow would target decision-making centers in Ukraine, including those where it said Western advisers were helping Kyiv.

“Kyiv and West capitals should take the statement from the Ministry of Defense seriously that further inciting of Ukraine to strike Russian territory will definitely lead to a tough response from Russia,” Zakharova said.

Zakharova cast Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a puppet of the West, who was being used by the United States to threaten Russia.

“You are being used,” Zakharova said.

The US has ruled out sending its own or NATO forces to Ukraine but Washington and its European allies have supplied weapons to Kyiv such as drones, Howitzer heavy artillery, anti-aircraft Stinger and anti-tank Javelin missiles.

Total US security assistance since the invasion amounts to about $3.7 billion, a US official said.