Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the West’s long-range weapons changed the geography of the war.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia’s military focus in Ukraine is no longer “just” east.
In an interview with Russian state media, he stated that Moscow’s strategy changed after allied countries supplied long-range weapons to Ukraine.
He argued that Russia now needs to push Ukrainian forces further away from the front lines to ensure its own security.
Their statement came after the US announced that it would supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons.
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Ukraine will receive four more advanced Himar rocket systems to block the advance of Russian troops, bringing the total number to 16.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska addressed the US Congress this week, urging more air defense systems to “help us stop this terror against Ukrainians.”
Russia invaded Ukraine in February, claiming that Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region were persecuted and should be released.
Five months later, Russia invaded the east and south of the country, but its main goal was to fail to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and has since claimed its main goal was to liberate Donbas.
The United States accused Russia of preparing to annex parts of Ukraine.
Since February, Western countries have been supplying Ukraine with increasingly powerful weapons to use in its defense against Russian forces.
Lavrov says this forces Russia to further expand its goals.
“We cannot allow the part of Ukraine controlled by Russia. [presidente ucraniano Volodymyr] Zelensky … possesses weapons that pose a direct threat to our territory.”
“The geography is different now,” he said, citing the southern regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia as Russia’s last targets. Moscow forces are already occupying parts of both regions.
Lavrov made particular reference to the Himars long-range rocket system (only recently supplied by the United States), with which Ukraine has had some success.
Two days in a row, Ukrainian forces used the Himars to hit a strategic bridge in Kherson (occupied city). Antonivskyi Bridge is one of two bridges on which Russia depends to supply the territories it has captured on the west bank of the Dnipro River, including the city of Kherson.
The Russian Chancellor described Ukraine’s arms procurement actions as “powerless anger” and “a desire to make things worse”.
But the Pentagon’s Austin said it was the “brutal and gratuitous invasion” of Russia that mobilized the international community.
Image: GETTY IMAGES
Russian annexation plans
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Russia is already making plans to annex a large part of Ukraine’s territory.
He accused Moscow of using a “handbook” similar to the seizure of Crimea when it annexed the Ukrainian peninsula by holding a fake referendum in 2014.
Kirby said Russia has appointed illegitimate pro-Russian officials to administer Ukraine’s occupied territories. These new “administrations” would then hold local referendums to become part of Russia, possibly as early as September.
Kirby said the voting results would be used by Russia “to demand the annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory”.
Was Crimea annexed by Russia after a hastily held referendum in 2014? It is seen as illegal by the international community that voters choose to join Russia.
Many Kyiv supporters boycotted the vote, and the campaign was neither free nor fair.
Similar polls held in other parts of Ukraine would almost certainly face a similar situation, with any opposition to Russian participation being largely suppressed.
Kirby said Russia was “exposing” its plans “to let the world know that any alleged annexation is deliberate, illegal and illegitimate”, and promised a swift response from the United States and its allies.
He said areas targeted for annexation are Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Luhansk. The same areas Lavrov said are now Russian targets.
– Text originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62250623
Did you know that the BBC is also on Telegram? subscribe to the channel.
Have you watched our new videos on YouTube?? Subscribe to our channel!
source: Noticias
[author_name]
