The US ambassador to the United Kingdom has warned that British arms supplies to Ukraine are “legitimate targets” for the Russian military. Andrey Kelin claimed that providing deadly aid, including heavy artillery and anti-ship missiles, would “worsen the situation” in the country as Vladimir Putin’s forces struggled to make a profit. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace last week promised to send further military aid to Ukraine in the form of long-range artillery and Starstreak missiles. The United Kingdom has already supplied President Volodomyr Zelensky’s forces with thousands of Javelin and NLAW anti-tank missiles, which have been used to death. Shots were fired Friday by a British Starstreak missile that shot down a Russian Mi-28N attack helicopter in the Luhansk region. The rocket is considered to be the fastest air-to-ground missile in the world.
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Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency, Mr Kelin described the British arms supply as “destabilizing”, adding: “They are exacerbating the situation, making it even more bloody. Obviously, these are new high-precision weapons. “Of course, our armed forces will see them as a legitimate target if these supplies cross the Ukrainian border.” He accused the United Kingdom of “fueling the conflict” by continuing to send deadly aid, saying it had revealed “Britain’s desire to do us as much harm as possible”. Meanwhile, the UK Department of Defense said on Saturday that Ukrainian forces were continuing to repel Russian advance into eastern Ukraine and that they had “secured a key route” to eastern Kharkiv after heavy fighting. Zelensky warned on Saturday that Russian forces retreating from the Kiev region had created a “catastrophic” situation for civilians, leaving mines around residential areas as well as abandoned equipment. Moscow said earlier this week it would withdraw from Kyiv and Chernihiv and refocus its operations in the eastern Donbass region amid growing casualties and a halted offensive. However, Ukrainians and Western leaders reacted with skepticism to the announcement, warning that Mr Putin had not pledged to de-escalate and would likely seize the opportunity to regroup. Donate here: Please donate as much as you can to the Evening Standard Ukraine appeal / IS The southern city of Mariupol continued to be under siege by Russian troops on Saturday as Red Cross officials tried to evacuate civilians. About 2,000 people left Mariupol on Friday, some by bus and others in their own vehicles, city officials said.
