The Ukraine crisis was further complicated yesterday by the US announcement of a new arms shipment to support the Kiev government. Moscow has warned of the consequences of military aid.
Washington announced yesterday that it will support Kiev with advanced missile systems as part of a $700 million military aid package that includes helicopters, tactical vehicles and missile launchers. Despite this, US President Joe Biden said he was “not looking for a war between NATO and Russia”.
On the other hand, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned that Washington’s decision to provide Kiev with advanced missiles increases the risk of a direct confrontation between Russia and the United States. The Defense Ministry also said in a statement that Russian nuclear forces conducted exercises in the Ivanovo region, northeast of Moscow.
The foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which has stepped in, also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Riyadh yesterday. Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the GCC has consensus on the crisis in Ukraine. The Saudi Minister, who also met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba via video conference, continued his statement as follows:
“Through these two meetings, we reflected our united position on the Russian-Ukrainian crisis and its negative repercussions on food security in the world.”
