More weapons aid heightens risk of clash

MOSCOW — Washington's decision to send more military aid to Ukraine poses a threat to Moscow's interests and increases the risk of a military clash between Russia and the West, said Russia's ambassador to the United States.

"We perceive this as an immediate threat to the strategic interests of our country," Ambassador Anatoly Antonov said on Telegram on Wednesday.

"The supply of military products by the US and its allies not only entails protracted bloodshed and new casualties, but also increases the danger of a direct military clash between Russia and Western countries."

The comments came a day after the US announced plans on Tuesday to provide an additional $625 million in military aid to Ukraine, a package that includes additional advanced rocket systems.

US President Joe Biden provided details on the latest package — which includes four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems known as HIMARS, 200 mine resistant vehicles, hundreds of thousands of rounds of artillery and mortar ammunition — in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US Vice-President Kamala Harris on Tuesday.

This round of military aid marks the first time the US has sent additional HIMARS to Ukraine since late July. The systems, which will bring the total number of HIMARS sent to Ukraine to 20, have become a key tool in Ukraine's ability to strike bridges that Russia has used to supply its troops, enabling Ukrainian forces to make inroads in Russian-controlled regions.

On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed laws formally incorporating four regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson into Russia.

The documents were published on a Russian government website on Wednesday morning.

Earlier this week, Russia's lower house of parliament, the State Duma, ratified agreements on the accession of the four regions.

In response, Zelensky announced a fast-track application to join NATO and formally ruling out talks with Russia. Zelensky's decree, released on Tuesday, declares that holding negotiations with Putin has become impossible.

Also on Wednesday, the European Union agreed on a new round of sanctions against Russia after Moscow's announcement of the incorporation of the four regions, the Czech presidency of the bloc said.

The latest package — the eighth since the conflict began in February — is now going through a final approval procedure which, if no objections emerge, will be published and come into effect on Thursday, wrote the Czech Republic's EU ambassador on Twitter.

Details of the sanctions package were not given, but EU ambassadors discussing potential measures over the past few days have focused on seeking to impose a price cap on Russian oil transported around the world.

The EU is "ready to discuss" a price cap on imported gas to bring down soaring energy costs, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Her comment to the European Parliament signaled a shift in tone in Europe after powerhouse EU country Germany had expressed worries that a broad price cap might divert supplies for Europe.

It comes after 15 EU countries — more than half the bloc — made a joint call for the EU to impose a price ceiling on how much it would pay for gas piped or shipped in, as the northern hemisphere winter bears down.

Dangerous phase

On the ground, Moscow's conflict in Ukraine has entered a new, more dangerous phase. Russia faces mounting setbacks, with Ukrainian forces retaking more and more land in the east and in the south.

A Russian official in Kherson said on Wednesday that Russian forces in the region were regrouping for a counterattack amid rapid Ukrainian gains in the region, state-owned news agency RIA reported.

RIA quoted Kirill Stremousov as saying that Russian forces were "conducting a regrouping in order to gather their strength and deliver a retaliatory blow".

Agencies Via Xinhua