Russian Diplomat: More Aid Sent to Ukraine, the More Likely Russia Will Ramp Up its Military Operation
Jose Nino
|
Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov claimed on January 26, 2023 that the more military aid that is sent to Ukraine, the larger Russia’s military operation will grow. Gavrilov is the head of Russia’s delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control.
“The more aid to Ukraine increases, the more the special military operation expands,” the diplomat said to the Rossiya-24 TV channel.
Throughout January, the US sent a multi-billion dollar military aid package — consisting of Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled howitzers — on top of a plan to send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Other countries such as France, Germany, Norway, Poland, and Slovakia have also promised to send tanks to Ukraine.
The Russian diplomat is correct here. Russia treats what’s unfolding in Ukraine as an existential conflict that it cannot afford to lose. So any military aid to Ukraine will be treated as a de facto attack against Russia, thereby prompting it to pursue more escalation in Ukraine.
As a result, more death and destruction will occur. Moreover, Russia may pursue more maximalist aims to pacify and even annex large portions of Ukraine as a result of continued Western aid to Ukraine.
If the Collective West wants peace in Ukraine, it needs to halt military aid and start pushing for a negotiated settlement to this conflict.
Share: