Criticism of arms deliveries
Kremlin: West drags out Ukraine conflict
04/19/2022, 3:11 p.m
To defend themselves against the invading Russian armies, dozens of Western countries are supplying Ukraine with weapons. In Moscow, the support caused outrage. The arms deliveries would only prolong the Russian military operation, says Defense Minister Shoigu.
Russia has accused the West of prolonging the war by continuing to supply arms to Ukraine. “The United States and the Western countries they control are doing everything they can to delay the special military operation,” Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said, according to the Interfax agency in Moscow. “The growing volume of foreign arms shipments shows their intention to provoke the Kiev regime to fight ‘to the last Ukrainian’.”
At the same time, Shoigu announced that the armed forces would “consistently fulfill their plan to liberate the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk.” His ministry called on all Ukrainian soldiers to “lay down their arms immediately”.
In 2014, pro-Russian separatists proclaimed so-called People’s Republics in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Moscow officially recognized shortly before the invasion of Ukraine in February of this year. Conquering more parts of the region would allow Russia to establish a southern corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014. Moscow calls the war of aggression against the neighboring country, which has been going on for more than seven weeks, only “a special military operation”.
In contrast to Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Shoigu did not comment specifically on the announced Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine. Lavrov had previously spoken on Indian television that the next phase of the “special operation” had begun. According to Ukrainian information, the major attack in the east has been underway since Monday. “We will defend ourselves,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Telegram.