(MENAFN) A senior official from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Belyaev, has accused Ukrainian forces of employing weaponry supplied by Britain to carry out terrorist
assaults on Russian territories. In an interview with TASS news agency, Belyaev, who heads the ministry's Second European Department, highlighted the substantial support provided by London to Kiev since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February 2022, amounting to EUR7.1 billion (USD8.9 billion). He alleged that the weapons supplied by the UK are actively utilized by the Ukrainian military in terrorist
operations targeting civilian infrastructure and populations in Donbass, as well as in other regions of Russia.
Belyaev further asserted that the recent announcement by British Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak of a EUR500 million (USD617 million) military aid package for Ukraine reflects London's ambition to bolster its influence within NATO
and among European nations. He pointed out that the United Kingdom had previously supplied advanced weaponry such as Storm Shadow cruise missiles and Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, making it one of the primary sources of such military hardware for Kiev.
Russian diplomats have repeatedly cautioned their British counterparts about the repercussions of supporting Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's government, emphasizing that such backing exacerbates tensions and results in civilian casualties. Belyaev stressed that London's abandonment of its confrontational approach, including the imposition of sanctions, is essential for the restoration of bilateral political, trade, and economic relations with Moscow. This stance underscores Moscow's insistence on a diplomatic
resolution to the conflict and the importance of constructive engagement between Russia and Western nations.
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