Russia’s Foreign Ministry warned Thursday that if the U.S. confirms reports that it plans to deliver sophisticated air-defense missiles to Ukraine, it would be “another provocative move” by Washington that could prompt a response from Moscow.
Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing that “the U.S. has effectively become a party” to the war in Ukraine, following reports that it will provide Kyiv with Patriot surface-to-air missiles. The missile battery would be the most advanced air-defense system supplied by the West to help Ukraine’s military repel Russian aerial attacks.
Zakharova added that growing amounts of U.S. military assistance, including the transfer of such sophisticated weapons, “would mean even broader involvement of military personnel in the hostilities and could entail possible consequences.” She did not specify what the consequences might be.