Badhon : Moscow warned Saturday that Washington was encouraging “new bloodshed” in eastern Ukraine by its decision to provide the ex-Soviet nation with lethal weapons, while Kiev expressed the hope arms supplies could help contain Russia. The stern Moscow warning came after a new ceasefire deal between Ukraine and pro-Russian rebels went into effect from midnight Saturday ahead of the New Year and Orthodox Christmas holidays. But already both sides are claiming ceasefire violations. (AFP)
In a strongly-worded statement Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of “crossing the line” and fomenting the conflict in eastern Ukraine, a region known locally as Donbass. The US State Department announced Friday that Washington had “decided to provide Ukraine enhanced defensive capabilities as part of our effort to help Ukraine build its long-term defence capacity.”An ABC news report before the announcement said the US planned to supply Ukraine with anti-tank missiles, including possibly the advanced Javelin system, citing four State Department officials.