The head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, Konstantin Gavrilov, said that pushing Europe to aggravate relations with Russia could expand the conflict zone.
MOSCOW, July 27. /tass/. The use by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) against the Russian territory of American multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) or other long-range NATO guns will lead to more than serious consequences. This was stated on Wednesday by the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna on military security and arms control Konstantin Gavrilov.
"Colleagues, do not let the overseas hosts blunt your vigilance: if the AFU uses American MLRS or other NATO long-range guns against Russian territory, the consequences will be more than serious," he said at a meeting of the OSCE forum on security cooperation. The diplomat's words are quoted by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
In this regard, he called on Western countries to listen to the facts voiced by Russia, which they "missed for too long."
Also Gavrilov said that pushing Europe to aggravate relations with Russia could expand the conflict zone. "Washington is pushing European satellites to cooperate closely with Kiev and aggravate relations with Moscow, forcing them to train Ukrainian soldiers and use their territory as a transit zone for arms supplies. These actions may lead to the expansion of the zone of armed conflict," he said.
Gavrilov noted that the United Kingdom, Canada and the EU under the leadership of the United States "have been preparing Ukraine for war" with Russia for eight years. "Now these "lights of democracy" are doing everything to prolong the conflict and cause maximum damage to Russia and its people. They won't just get away with it. We guarantee it," Gavrilov stressed.
The diplomat added that the increase in the supply of Western weapons to Kiev may force the Russian Federation "to move to tougher retaliatory actions." "The features of the tactical and technical characteristics of weapons and military equipment supplied by the West are such that they pose threats to our citizens. Under these conditions, we will push the neo-Nazis away from our borders in proportion to the range of the missile systems used by Kiev. And then we'll see," he concluded.
On July 24, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, informed that following a meeting with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky, American congressmen announced plans to transfer to Kiev up to 30 HIMARS MLRS and MLRS family installations (Multiple Launch Rocket System - multiple launch rocket system).
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories, and the goals are demilitarization and denazification of the country. After that, the United States and its allies imposed large-scale sanctions against Russia and intensified arms supplies to Ukraine.
