Russia;NATO role in Ukraine threatens ‘unpredictable’ escalation

Moscow has repeatedly accused NATO of involvement in the war by supplying arms to Kyiv, warning supplies are ‘legitimate targets’.
Western weapons supplies to Ukraine are dragging NATO directly into the conflict and could lead to an “unpredictable” escalation, Russia’s defence minister says.

“The US and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible,” Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said in a conference call on Tuesday with military officials.

“To do this, they have started supplying heavy offensive weapons, openly urging Ukraine to seize our territories. In fact, such steps are dragging NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation.”

His allusion to “our territories” appeared to be a reference to four regions in eastern and southern Ukraine – Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson – that Russia claims to have annexed following referendums last September that were condemned by Kyiv and its Western allies as illegitimate.

Much of the territory in the Russian-claimed regions is currently in Ukrainian hands.

Moscow has repeatedly accused the NATO alliance of playing a direct role in the war by supplying arms to Kyiv.