Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov. File photoMOSCOW, April 9The actions of Western countries against the backdrop of a special operation in Ukraine are dangerous and provocative and can lead to a direct military confrontation between Russia and the United States, Anatoly Antonov, ambassador to Washington, told Newsweek. thereby provoking further bloodshed,” he said. The ambassador noted that “the death of the Minsk agreements” was the result of nationalist madness and revanchist sentiments of the Kiev regime, which chose the path of rapid militarization. At the same time, NATO countries began the military development of Ukraine, overflowing with weapons, while President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to acquire nuclear weapons. «We warn that such actions are dangerous and provocative, since they are directed against our state,» Antonov stressed. According to him, all this could lead the US and Russia to the path of direct military confrontation.The Pentagon announced the desire of the United States to see the «defeat of Russia in Ukraine» He added that any supply of weapons and military equipment, transport convoys on the territory of Ukraine would be a legitimate military target for the Russian Armed Forces. On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine. According to President Vladimir Putin, its goal is «to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» But there is no question of the occupation of Ukraine, Putin emphasized. With the support of the Russian military, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive. The Ministry of Defense stated that the Armed Forces only strike at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. By March 25, they completed the main tasks of the first stage — they significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
