UK is ‘waging’ war against Russia by giving weapons to Ukraine, ambassador says

The UK is “waging” warfare against Russia by supplying Ukraine with weapons, Moscow’s ambassador has said.

His comments travel arsenic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has presented satellite leaders with a triumph program to effort and extremity the conflict, which is wide condemned by planetary governments arsenic having been caused by Russia’s amerciable invasion.

Andrei Kelin, Russia’s ambassador to the UK, told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: “My authorities firmly believes the UK Government is waging an assertive warfare against Russia by the hands of the Ukrainians.

“This is simply a proxy warfare led by the United Kingdom’s Government by providing lethal weapons with which the UK Government is sidesplitting Russian soldiers and civilians.”

He added: “I deliberation you are assertive and waging a proxy warfare against Russia.”

Mr Kelin besides described Mr Zelensky arsenic “desperate”, and said helium should negociate with Russia.

He claimed: “He afloat understands that helium is losing not lone terrain but helium is losing the conflict. I wouldn’t accidental they are going to surrender time – they inactive proceed to defy but the absorption is much feeble.”

Earlier this week, Defence Secretary John Healey restated the UK’s backing of Ukraine.

He said: “We, as Ukraine’s supporters, indispensable bash everything we tin to measurement up our enactment for Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead, to enactment much unit connected Russia, to guarantee that Ukraine can prevail, due to the fact that the defence of Europe starts in Ukraine.

“They’re warring for the aforesaid values and aforesaid beliefs and aforesaid freedoms that we prize and we beryllium them that work to basal with them for arsenic agelong arsenic it takes.”

Earlier this month, Mr Zelensky presented his “victory plan” to Prime curate Sir Keir Starmer successful Downing Street arsenic unit mounted connected the UK to springiness Ukraine support to usage Storm Shadow missiles to onslaught targets successful Russia.

In three-way talks successful Downing Street, the Prime Minister, the Ukrainian president and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte discussed the authorities of the war.

Mr Rutte said determination was nary ineligible crushed preventing the usage of Western-supplied weapons against targets wrong Russia, but decisions had to beryllium made by idiosyncratic states.