MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. US lawmakers' call for lethal weapons to arm Ukrainian government forces has been condemned as "amazing irresponsibility" by a leading Russian foreign affairs commentator, assessing it a move to strengthen "the party of war in Kiev".

The essence of the American Congress vote "is to turn Ukraine into a belligerent nation", warned State Duma International Affairs Committee chairman Alexey Pushkov.

This would stall an end to military conflict in the country's troubled east "and send a strong signal of America’s long-term support in its policy of confrontation with Russia", he declared.

Large-scale conflicts had flared in the 20th century on the back of arms shipments, Pushkov said.

"War in Vietnam began with arms deliveries along with many other armed conflicts. US troops became involved later by virtue of a vicious chain of events," the lawmaker told TASS, responding to the Congress move.

"The most dangerous thing is that it’s absolutely irresponsible. Of course, the decision is to be made by [President] Obama since the resolution is non-binding," he said.

"But this irresponsibility is amazing considering the price the United States had to pay for its direct or indirect involvement in armed conflicts abroad and what price was paid by countries - from Vietnam to Iraq - where military conflicts involved the United States."

US congressmen backing the resolution in the hope this would help Kiev gain the upper hand militarily were ill-informed about events on the ground and developments around the world in general, Pushkov said.

"Their perception is based on the assumption that the US and its allies should always emerge victorious. In reality, the US has suffered numerous defeats and this policy is too doomed to failure," he said, adding that delivery of weapons would not change fundamentally the balance of forces on the ground.

"But it’s sure to make the party of war in Kiev stronger, making an impression that the conflict could be resolved militarily, not by political means," the parliamentarian added.

"The essence of the resolution is to turn Ukraine into a belligerent nation, prevent it from putting an end to the military conflict and send a strong signal of America’s long-term support in its policy of confrontation with Russia.".