Speaking to the Russia 24 television channel, the diplomat denounced that Washington is “trying to further raise the stakes and exacerbate the situation,” referring to the recent announcement of a new US financial contribution to Kiev.

He said that the goal of financing and delivering arms to Ukraine is not to allow “Russia to stand firm, that Russia’s interests in the world be respected, that Russia’s voice be heard.”

Last night, during a visit to Kiev, the US Secretaries of State and Defense, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin, respectively, announced that the United States will allocate 713 million dollars for military funds to Ukraine and 15 other European countries. Ukraine will receive more than 322 million dollars, while the rest will be distributed among Central and Eastern European countries, Blinken told reporters in Poland after his visit to Ukraine.

According to US government sources, the aid will not come in the form of arms but rather financially so that the designated countries, Ukraine included, buy the shipments of weapons they need, which would supposedly serve to help Kiev fight back against Russian troops and Donbass militias, in addition to allowing it to acquire more advanced weapons and air defense systems, mainly those in service in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

The new budget will bring the volume of Washington’s military aid to Ukraine to 3.7 billion dollars.

The United States is Ukraine’s main supplier of arms and financial aid against Russia, as well as the most important promoter of economic, commercial and financial sanctions against Moscow.

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