Ukraine is being pumped with weapons by Western nations in support of the long-planned counteroffensive against Russia, but this will not lead to any positive results and will only cause more bloodshed, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin has warned.
In an interview with the newspaper Izvestia published on Thursday, Galuzin said Kiev and its “Anglo-Saxon masters” are derailing all initiatives for peace talks as they call for the “strategic defeat of Russia.”
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“Thoughtlessly and irresponsibly pumping up Kiev with modern Western weapons and supporting its idea of a counteroffensive will only lead to bloodshed and further escalation of the conflict,” he told the outlet.
“The Kiev regime and its Western sponsors should be warned about the inevitably deplorable consequences of their plans,” Galuzin said, adding that the Russian forces are prepared for any developments in the conflict.
In recent months, Ukrainian and Western officials have spoken on multiple occasions about plans for a massive counteroffensive against Russia. Last week, Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov said that Ukrainian troops are “generally ready for the push” and are awaiting orders from senior officials.
On Wednesday, the head of the Wagner private military company, Evgeny Prigozhin, said Ukraine’s forces have begun their counteroffensive in Artyomovsk, known as Bakhmut in Ukraine.
That same day, the Kremlin reported that two drones attacked its premises, calling it an act of terrorism targeting the residence of President Vladimir Putin, who was not there at the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
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While Kiev has officially denied responsibility for the attack, Russia said it reserves the right to retaliate “anywhere and anytime it deems necessary.”