The Kremlin on Thursday saw the decision by the US, Germany and others to send tanks to the Ukrainian army as an escalation of Western involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, hinting that there would be further consequences.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, has criticized shipments of M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks from NATO member states, saying it represents “direct interference” by the West that is on the rise.

“There are constant statements from European capitals and Washington that the sending of various weapons systems to Ukraine, including tanks, in no way means the participation of these countries or the alliance in hostilities in Ukraine,” Peskov said.

“We categorically disagree with this, and in Moscow everything that the alliance and the capitals I mentioned are doing is regarded as direct participation in the conflict. We see it growing.”

However, Mr. Putin’s spokesman replied to a reporter’s question that changing the status of the so-called “special military operation” was not on the agenda. Officially, Russia is not at war in Ukraine, despite a fleeting utterance of the word at one point by Mr. Putin.

Similarly, Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that the US and NATO are involved in the conflict in Ukraine and want to drag it out.

“In the 21st century, using the Nazi puppet regime in Kyiv, the West is waging a campaign against Russia,” Mr. Patrushev said of the so-called Moscow hawks.

In his opinion, “today’s events in Ukraine are the result of many years of US preparation for a hybrid war against Russia and an attempt to prevent the formation of a multipolar world.”

In addition, Mr. Peskov has accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of preparing for war and has long ceased to be a potential interlocutor for Mr. Putin. Earlier, Zelensky said he was “not interested” in negotiations with Putin.

Source: Reuters, TASS