Vyacheslav Volodin, an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has warned of global catastrophe. Volodin said that the West’s deliveries of new offensive weapons to Ukraine will cause mass destruction.
Volodin, the speaker of the Duma — Russia’s lower house of parliament, said that such military assistance to Kyiv will threaten Russia’s territories.
On the Telegram messaging app, Volodin said that if the United States and NATO nations supply weapons that will be “used to strike civilian cities and attempt to seize our territories”, it will lead to “retaliatory measures” using more powerful weapons.
His remarks come after the Ukrainian allies agreed to send massive military assistance for Kyiv’s fight against Russian forces during their defence ministers’ talks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany last Friday.
Volodin said, “Arguments that the nuclear powers have not previously used weapons of mass destruction in local conflicts are untenable.”
“Because these states did not face a situation where there was a threat to the security of their citizens and the territorial integrity of the country,” he added.
“Deliveries of offensive weapons to the Kyiv regime will lead to a global catastrophe,” he said.
The West announced a powerful military package that included Stryker armoured personnel carriers, Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles and Avenger air defence systems.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the fresh package and called it an “important” help to fight against the aggressor, but called out West’s “indecisiveness” over the supply of German tanks.