MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. The West’s attempts to arm Ukraine and encourage the Kiev authorities to continue their standoff with Russia are bound to fail, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in response to questions from the International Affairs magazine.

The diplomat pointed out that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s words clearly illustrated the outcome of the alliance’s summit in Vilnius: if Ukraine fails to prevail, "there is no point in discussing membership."

"Meanwhile, they recognize that Ukraine is facing huge problems in the course of its ‘counteroffensive.’ According to Jens Stoltenberg, the solution is to increase military assistance to Kiev," Zakharova said.

"No matter how hard the collective West tries to arm the Ukrainian armed forces and encourage the Ukrainian authorities to continue their standoff with Russia, these attempts are bound to fail. All the goals of the special military operation pertaining to the denazification and demilitarization of the Kiev regime and the elimination of threats to our country’s security coming from Ukraine will be achieved," the diplomat stressed.