Vyacheslav Volodin, the head of the Russian State Duma, has threatened the West with severe retaliation if it supplies Ukraine with offensive weaponry, which he believes will be used to seize Russian territory and attack peaceful Russian communities.
"If Washington and NATO nations provide weapons that will be used to attack peaceful cities and attempt to seize our territories, as they threaten, they will be used. This will result in retaliation measures with stronger weapons. Members of the United States Congress, the Bundestag, the National Assembly of France, and other European parliaments must recognize their obligation to mankind, "Volodin wrote.
According to him, Washington and Brussels' choices are heading the globe to "a terrible war."
"Given the technological superiority of Russian weapons, foreign politicians who make such decisions need to understand this could end in a global tragedy that would destroy their countries," warned the Russian parliament speaker.
He claimed that Russia, which had supposedly previously targeted Ukraine "exclusively at the military and critical infrastructure" exclusively, would now engage in "completely different military actions."
The conference of NATO and EU military ministers was conducted on January 20 at the German air base Ramstein and mainly focused on delivering heavy, sophisticated weapons to Ukraine.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at the conference, pledged to support Ukraine "as much as necessary." He said that now is not the time to slow down, and the allies' resolve to assist Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression will be steadfast. Austin recalled that the United States promised a $2.5 billion aid package to address Ukraine's vital security and defence requirements.
After the meeting, Ukraine was promised:
In response, Latvia said that it would send 2,000 Ukrainian military personnel with M-17 helicopters, Stinger MANPADS, drones, other equipment, and training.
There will be dozens of FH-70 and D-30 howitzers and hundreds of anti-tank Carl Gustaf grenade launchers with ammunition included in Estonia's $113 million military aid package.
Since the commencement of the Russian invasion, Finland has declared its most extensive military aid package. Due to security concerns, the Finnish Ministry of Defense has not disclosed which weapons are included in the shipment. However, it was stated that the entire cost would be approximately $500 million (more than 400 million euros). This is the twelfth shipment of Finnish military aid to Ukraine.
Previously, nine countries – the United Kingdom, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic – signed the "Tallinn Declaration", in which they pledged to "support Ukraine in its heroic resistance to illegal and unprovoked Russian aggression" and "collectively seek global military assistance" for Ukraine.
