Biden doesn’t want peace in Ukraine

0

It has become crystal clear by now that the Biden administration is unwilling to see peace in Ukraine.

In a statement, Anatoly Antonov, Russian ambassador to Washington said, the US government’s policies on Ukraine show it is not interested in a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

In the statement, Anatoly Antonov argued that Washington’s decision to supply Kiev with Bradley Fighting Vehicles only confirms the US has not “even tried to listen” to Russia’s warnings against such “a dangerous course”.

The US unleashed a real proxy-war against Russia by supporting Nazi criminals in Kiev” as early as 2014, the ambassador said, referring to the coup that ousted the democratically elected president, Viktor

Yanukovich. “Any talk about a ‘defensive nature’ of weapons supplied to Ukraine has long become absurd”, he added.

The envoy claimed Western arms shipments only encourage Ukrainian radicals to commit “terrible deeds”, adding to “their feeling of impunity… They continue to kill civilians in Donbass, Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions of the Russian Federation in an extremely cynical way”.

“Nobody should still have doubts who bears responsibility for prolonging this conflict,” as all actions by the US administration “indicate a lack of any desire for a political settlement”, Antonov said.

The Russian ambassador highlighted US President Joe Biden’s reaction to the 36-hour truce on Orthodox Christmas announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 5, 2023.

Earlier, the US president Joe Biden dismissed Moscow’s offer, saying: “I’m reluctant to respond to anything that Putin says… I think he’s trying o find some oxygen”.

“All this means that Washington is committed to fighting with us ‘to the last Ukrainian’, while the destiny of people of Ukraine means nothing to the US”, the diplomat argued.

The proposed ceasefire was branded “hypocritical” by Ukrainian officials, with President Vladimir Zelensky calling it a ruse, saying: “Everyone in the 

world knows how the Kremlin uses ceasefires to continue the war with renewed vigor”.

Washington drags Kiev into further sufferings

According to media reports, the US government is set to supply Ukraine with a number of armored personnel carriers in an upcoming aid package, described as “tank-killers” by a senior military official. The move follows reports that Washington is still refusing to consider heavier armor for Kiev, despite its repeated requests for the Abrams main battle tank.

Chief Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder announced the latest aid on Thursday (January 5, 2023), telling reporters that Kiev will receive an unspecified number of Bradley Fighting Vehicles, as well as training and maintenance support for the armored troop carriers.

“It is obviously an armored capability that can transport mechanized infantry into battle in support of both offensive and defensive operations, providing a level of firepower and armor that will bring advantages on the battlefield”, Ryder said, adding “It’s not a tank, but it’s a tank-killer”.

The weapons package will include up to 50 Bradleys and other gear, according to two unnamed officials cited by Reuters.

Ryder declined to offer a timeframe for when the vehicles might reach the battlefield, nor how long it would take to train local soldiers to use them. Though Washington has approved more than US$21 billion in direct military aid since the conflict in Ukraine kicked off last February, it is unclear how much of that weaponry has arrived to the country or is actually in service due to lengthy delivery schedules.

Kiev has clamored for increasingly heavy weapons throughout the conflict, specifically requesting the M1 Abrams main battle tank in a Christmas ‘wish list’ shared by a senior adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in December 2022.

However, US officials continue to rule out the 60-ton tank, with an unnamed government staffer telling the Washington Post they are unsuitable for Ukrainian forces due to their tendency to break down and heavy fuel consumption.

Instead, Washington and some Western allies, including Germany and France, have offered lighter armor, with Paris recently agreeing to send several aging AMX-10 armored fighting vehicles and Berlin announcing future shipments of the comparable Marder vehicle. All three countries have rebuffed requests for heavy tanks.

Developed in the 1980s to contend with Soviet BMP fighting vehicles, the Bradley was designed to transport and provide cover for infantry, coming in several different variants. While the Pentagon did not specify the model that will be shipped to Ukraine, the M3 Bradley is typically operated by a three-man crew, and has extra space for scout troops and BGM-71 TOW missiles, an anti-tank weapon.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here