Gavrilov: The West, by supplying tanks to Ukraine, is moving to a new level of confrontationMOSCOW, January 26 - RIA Novosti.
MOSCOW, January 26 - RIA Novosti. The West is moving to a new level of confrontation between Russia and NATO, starting to supply Leopard 2 and Abrams tanks to Ukraine, said Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation at the Vienna talks on military security and arms control.
"We used to deal with the issues of small arms here on the negotiating track, that is, preventing such weapons from entering conflict zones, controlling man-portable air defense missile systems. Documents have been developed, but now they are actually all set aside. It's just that the West does not comply with them and is really moving to a new level," Gavrilov said on the Rossiya 24 TV channel, answering the host's question whether the supply of Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine is a transition to a new stage of the confrontation between Russia and NATO.
At the same time, the diplomat noted that Western supplies of tanks and aircraft to Kiev will not change the situation at the front and will not force Russia to abandon the goals of the special operation. "There is nothing good with the supply of these tanks and, perhaps, the supply of aircraft, but there is no need to make a catastrophe out of it, they will not change anything at the front. Our determination is proven... We will not give up our goals and objectives set in the special operation. The more assistance to Ukraine expands, the wider the border of the special operation becomes," Gavrilov stressed.
On Wednesday, the German government announced that it had decided to transfer German Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. This was preceded by greatly increased pressure from representatives of government parties on the cabinet of Olaf Scholz to make a positive decision on this issue as soon as possible.
Germany intends to form two tank battalions. At the first stage, they plan to provide a company of 14 Leopard 2 type A6 from the reserves of the Bundeswehr. Berlin also plans to organize training of the Ukrainian military in Germany in the near future. In addition to 14 tanks and training, the new package of assistance to Ukraine from Germany, as stated, will include logistics, ammunition and maintenance.
Also on Wednesday, the White House confirmed its intention to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. According to the US authorities, it will take several months to deliver the cars. In addition, Washington intends to send Kiev eight armored M88 repair and evacuation vehicles to service tanks. As stated in the White House, the United States hopes that the supply of weapons to Ukraine will not only help Kiev in defense, but also allow it to seize the lost territories, including Crimea.
Russia earlier sent a note to NATO countries because of the supply of weapons to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo that contains weapons for Ukraine will become a legitimate target for Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry said that NATO countries were "playing with fire" by supplying weapons to Ukraine. The press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and will have a negative effect.
