By Ben Kerrigan-
The continuous supply of weapons by the UK to President Zelenskyy’s Ukranaian forces will only end in defeat, the Russian ambassador to London has said.
In an attack on the British government’s strategy in supporting Ukraine, Andrei Kelin described the support from the Uk as a miscalculation which will intensify the war at the expense of Ukraine.
The West have formed a unified front with Nato ever since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and issued multiple sanctions against oligarchs in a bid to let Russia feel the full weight of its displeasure with Putin’s breach of international law.
Joe Biden’s regime has also contributed billions of dollars in the supply of weapons against the Kremlin, in its support for Ukraine in a war that has seen both sides suffer high levels of casualties and deaths.
Andrei Kelin told Sky News that UK-supplied weapons are now being used to shell civilians in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
He said: “The conflict will end and… may end pretty soon because… the UK will understand that there is no possibility to win over Russia.
“The conflict will be prolonged if the UK will continue to supply arms, which are now being used also for shelling cities and civilian people in Donbas and in other areas.
“And the more the UK will send weapons, the longer Ukrainian… authorities [will] continue the conflict.”
He and other defence ministers have also confirmed multiple rocket launchers and short-range missile systems would also be sent and Ukrainian soldiers have received training in the UK on a range of weapons
He described UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s steadfast support for the Ukrainian government’s attempt to fend off the Russian invasion as “totally wrong”.
He said: “This is a miscalculation, a strategic miscalculation, of what is happening over there, because… Russia is winning and winning pretty quickly.
“UK is trying to supply weapons to Ukraine, but the longer it will supply weapons to Ukraine, the more suffering of Ukraine it will be.
“It is clear by now that Ukraine is losing ground and [we are] gaining ground in Donbas… For me, it is interesting what will be the exit strategy of UK government if it will continue to repeat that Ukraine should prevail? It is simply unrealistic.”
Ukrainian soldiers have been using weapons supplied by the West in the Donbas region
When asked about the war crimes that some of the Conservative leadership candidates have in the past accused Russia of having committed, he said it was Ukraine that had been committing war crimes.
He continued: “First and foremost, we have a record of crimes that has been committed during eight years when Ukrainians were bombing Donbas, shelling innocent people over there, killing peaceful citizens.
“And they continue to do the same now… in Donbas specifically. It continues for eight years. We have this record and we will apply to that.
“We have a long record of Ukrainian crimes committed during, after [the] coup d’etat over there and during the civil war.”