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US 'drifting' towards supplying lethal weapons to Kiev — deputy foreign minister

Such a decision might bring about an extremely dangerous turn of events, according to Sergey Ryabkov

MOSCOW, August 15. /TASS/. Russia believes that the United States is drifting towards supplying lethal weapons to Ukraine, which would be a destabilizing step for the situation in Donbass, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov told International Affairs magazine in an interview, published on the Foreign Ministry’s website on Tuesday.

"The Trump Administration is being pushed in this direction," he said. "US Department of State’s special representative for Ukraine Kurt Volker during his trips to Ukraine and other countries made public statements in favor of this, too."

Ryabkov said hypothetical supplies of "lethal weapons" would be a qualitatively new step by the United States on the Ukrainian track.

"Will it be taken?" Ryabkov said. "Of late, we saw Washington’s certain drift in that direction."

In his opinion such a decision might bring about an extremely dangerous turn of events.

"It is clear that politically war mongers in Kiev would interpret it as a strong message in their support. In practical terms that would spell considerable destabilization of the situation in southeastern Ukraine," he added.