WASHINGTON, March 18. /TASS/. Russia believes that the US, by supplying American weapons to Ukraine, in effect directly participates in the conflict, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov told TASS.

"Issues of supplies of American weapons to Ukraine’s east <…> are at the heart of every one of my exchanges with the Americans, be it in the White House or in the Department of State," he said when commenting on the Ukrainian military using American Bradley mechanized infantry fighting vehicles to help them infiltrate the Russian border, including in the Belgorod Region. "That said, our positions principally differ. We say that supplies of such weapons in fact mean that the Americans directly participate in the military conflict, whereas the Americans sidestep this [notion], saying that they are fighting for democracy, nothing more," the diplomat added.

"Meanwhile I was told at the White House that they do not encourage the use of long-range American weapons, missiles included. My reaction was simply: "Do you really believe that? And what assurances are there [here]?" That’s what we <…> tell them. Though there has been no serious response to such questions," Antonov noted. "We assume that the Americans directly participate in the conflict," he stressed.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, from March 12 to 15, pre-emptive and coordinated actions of Russian troops, in coordination with units from the border service of the Russian Federal Security Service, stopped all attempts of Ukrainian forces to cross into the territory of the Belgorod and Kursk regions. Air strikes and artillery fire destroyed more than 550 servicemen, 16 tanks, 19 armored fighting vehicles, including 11 US-made Bradley vehicles, and 15 motor vehicles.