Russian Foreign Ministry: The West Aims to Arm Central Asia as a Source of Threats to Russia

EU Commission Vice-President: EU Defense Ministers Are Negotiating with Kyiv on How to Use Ukraine’s Weapon Loans

Vice Minister of the Russian Foreign Ministry Mikhail Galuzin stated that Western countries have not abandoned their ambitions to reshape Central Asia according to their own interests, seeking to turn it into a source of threats to Russia's security.

Speaking at the Central Asia session of Russia's Valdai International Discussion Club, Galuzin said: "Currently, Western countries have not given up their ambitions to restructure this region according to their own interests, to gain access to its natural resources, and to control transportation corridors passing through it. The West seeks to transform Central Asian states into sources of threats to Russia's security."

Galuzin also noted that, with the emergence of a multipolar world order, Western countries are fueling the potential for global conflicts, as they are unwilling to accept the loss of their former dominant position.

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High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that EU defense ministers met with Ukraine's defense minister in Brussels on Tuesday, focusing on how to use the 90-billion-euro loan for Ukrainian weapons.

Before the meeting of EU defense ministers, she said: "We will discuss Ukraine. The Ukrainian defense minister has joined our meeting. Of course, the core issue is how to utilize these 90 billion euros in loans and how to coordinate them to meet Ukraine’s urgent (military) needs."

The day before, the European Commission announced that in the first tranche of 9 billion euros from the total 90-billion-euro loan to Ukraine, nearly 6 billion euros would be allocated for weapon procurement, while only 3 billion euros would support Ukraine’s fiscal budget.

Russia believes that supplying weapons to Ukraine hinders conflict resolution, directly draws NATO countries into the conflict, and amounts to "playing with fire." Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov pointed out that any cargo containing military aid to Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russian strikes. The Kremlin stated that Western arms deliveries to Ukraine are unhelpful for negotiations and will have negative consequences.

Source: sputniknews

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864969372658700/

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