The Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, pointed out that Washington is “not interested” in Ukraine as a state, nor in its people, while it does not want to resolve the conflict through diplomacy.
In an interview for the Russian channel Perviy, the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, declared on Wednesday that Washington pursues the goal of dealing Moscow “a strategic defeat” in the context of the conflict in Ukraine.
“In Washington political circles do not hide the goal of their war on Ukrainian territorynot denied: deal Russia a strategic defeat, wear down and exhaust our country,” said the head of the Russian diplomatic mission.
Antonov asserted that the Administration of President Joe Biden is not “interested” in Ukraine as a state, nor in its people, while it does not want to resolve the conflict through diplomacy. Instead, the White House is guided “for a single purpose”which consists of “sending more and more people to the front, creating more and more problems for the Russian Armed Forces, to prevent them from winning any victory,” he stressed.
Along these lines, Antonov stressed that the commitment of several Western countries to send tanks like the Leopard, Challenger 2 or Abrams to Ukraine “will seriously affect the dynamics and character of relations between the West and Russia, as well as the situation on the ground.” “When Biden says that they deliver defensive weapons in the form of tanks, that is not correct. We know that there is a register of conventional arms, which was approved in New York and voted in favor by the US, which clearly states that tanks are offensive weapons“, he pointed.
In the opinion of the ambassador, the government of the Ukrainian president, Vladimir Zelensky, “it would fall immediately if the threads on which it hangs thanks to financial support were cutpolitical and military by Western countries, and first of all by the US”. At the same time, he stressed that Washington will “gradually” increase arms deliveries to kyiv and for this “constantly monitors” US public opinion.
Washington’s “strategic mistake”
On the other hand, the senior diplomat described Washington’s conflictive course in its relations with China and Russia as a “strategic error”. “Essentially, they started a conflict with two nuclear powers. Simply speaking, they are trying to fight on two fronts,” she said, referring to reports from the Pentagon and US media openly talking about preparations for a war against China over the island of Taiwan.
How to replace the START III?
Among other topics, Antonov addressed strategic stability and mentioned in particular the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START III), which is the last remaining nuclear arms control agreement between the two powers.
“The year 2026, when START III expires, is very close. And we have nothing we can offer to our peoples and to the international community, that it can replace that agreement”, remarked the ambassador. He added to this that in the latest and recently published version of the US National Security Strategies there is no talk of dialogue with Moscow in such scopes.
In this context, he stressed that Russia will be willing to “constructively” address Washington’s proposals on strategic stability, but for this the White House will have to change its “anti-russian policy“. In addition, he rejected Washington’s accusations that Russia violates the provisions of START III, and noted that the treaty guarantees “predictability“in the relations of the two great nuclear powers.
Source: RT
