Russia: Will supply US air defenses

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that providing US air defense systems to Kiev would make the conflict “longer and more painful for Ukraine” but would not change Russia’s goals.

Last Monday (10), Russian troops launched missile strikes on almost the entire region, including the capital of Ukraine, Kiev, which has not been targeted by Russian strikes since the beginning of the war. According to the latest data, 19 people died and 105 were injured as a result of the blasts.

The target of Russian attacks was, among other things, Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. After the bombing, many areas remained without electricity, and there were interruptions in power supply in other parts of Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, the attacks were carried out in response to an explosion on a Crimean bridge on October 8, an incident Moscow blamed on Ukraine.

Vehicles are destroyed in the center of the Ukrainian capital Kiev after a Russian missile attack on October 10, 2022/Sergey Suzavkov/AFP

After the attacks, in a phone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, US President Joe Biden pledged that the US would continue to provide whatever support was necessary, including the provision of advanced air defense systems.

The US president condemned the Russian attack on Ukraine and offered his condolences to the families and friends of those killed and injured in “this senseless attack”.

Biden emphasized that he remains in constant contact with allies and partners and will continue to use all efforts to hold Russia accountable for war crimes and provide economic, humanitarian and security assistance resources to Ukraine.

Russia has repeatedly declared that providing Western arms to Ukraine perpetuates the conflict, noting that arms shipments become a legitimate target for the Russian military.

Editing: Thales Schmidt