Russia Presses US and Turkey on Ukraine Arms

Russia has asked the United States and Turkey for clarification regarding reports of planned arms deliveries to Ukraine, which, according to Moscow, are based on documents from the US Congress, the Pravda Turkey website reports.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claims that the planned arsenal is to include 12 rocket launchers, more than 2,500 unguided cluster munitions, 47,000 cluster artillery shells of 203mm caliber and 70 ATACMS missiles.

However, according to her, it is unclear who initiated the potential re-export, or when and how the weapons would reach Kyiv. Zakharova said Washington and Ankara still have time to reconsider their plans.

According to Moscow, any new deliveries would not fundamentally change the course of the war, but they could seriously damage bilateral relations.

Russia also accused Turkey and the US of a discrepancy between their rhetoric of peace and potential arms deliveries. Moscow specifically pointed to Turkey's earlier assurances that it would refrain from supplying lethal weapons.

(Reuters, MJA)