WASHINGTON, February 1. /TASS/. The US decision to send GLSDB long-range precision weapons to Ukraine illustrates that Washington is reluctant to see a soonest end to the conflict, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said, commenting on the move.

"The irresponsible words by US officials are simply shocking. Confirmation today that another batch of long-range ammunition is on its way to the contact line essentially disavows any White House declarations about its willingness to put the conflict to an end as soon as possible. On the contrary, the Administration’s actions indicate its intention to prolong the agony of the Kiev regime. Even if this means new casualties, including among the civilian population of Russia and Ukraine," the ambassador said in a statement, posted on the embassy’s official Telegram channel.

He described this step as "a kind of a reaction to the terrorist attack by Ukrainian thugs, who recently downed a Russian Il-76 plane with Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen on board, using US weapons - the Patriot system."

"Instead of admitting the horrific crime of its ‘clients,’ the United States is sending them new deadly products. Thusly, not even with words, but with deeds, America incites its puppets to new atrocities," Antonov added.

Earlier, US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told reporters in Kiev that a batch of US-made GLSDB (Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb) munitions, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 150 kilometers, were already on their way to the zone of hostilities in Ukraine. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder told a briefing on Tuesday that he was not ready to specify the terms of GLSDB delivery and will "defer to Ukraine to talk about any delivery."

In the fall of 2022, Boeing asked the US administration to purchase its GLSDB projectiles and supply them to Ukraine. Boeing makes the bombs together with the Swedish defense company SAAB. Kiev was expected to receive them in the spring of 2023. Last February, the Politico reported that the delivery would be made by the end of 2023.

In November 2023, a Pentagon source told Reuters that the US expects to provide Ukraine with this key capability in early 2024 after successful testing. Since the contract to begin GLSDB production was signed in March, the delivery was delayed.