Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov has stated in an interview that Moscow is not going to attack any country first. He stressed that all the hysteria over the alleged Russian threat to Ukraine is artificially whipped up in the US with the goal of justifying the failures of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Antonov also shared that Russia has repeatedly asked the US about how it plans to help with the establishment of peace in Ukraine's east – a desire that Washington has expressed more than once this year. The diplomat noted that so far, the US has only been expanding the assortment of military equipment and weapons it is supplying the Ukrainian Army with.
The Russian ambassador noted that the White House keeps insisting on sending only defensive equipment to Ukraine, while including such strike weapons as Javelin anti-vehicle missile launchers.
"[They might attempt it], counting on the fact that [the Russian military] will not respond to an attack out of fear of NATO’s potential. I would like to highlight unequivocally: this is a very dangerous delusion".
Antonov's statements come hot on the heels of numerous reports in the US media claiming that Russia is building up its military forces at the border with Ukraine. Several American officials have expressed concerns that the Kremlin might be planning an attack on Ukraine, while US lawmakers have proposed to respond harshly to any such attempts.
11 November 2021, 12:17 GMT
The Kremlin, in turn, has condemned the allegations as more "anti-Russia hysteria" and slammed the media reports as a "fake news campaign". Moscow further stressed that movements of Russian troops within the boundaries of the country's borders should not concern anyone and denied claims that an attack on Ukraine is imminent.