By David Brunnstrom
(Reuters) – Russia’s deputy UN ambassador said on Wednesday that any decision by President Donald Trump to end aid to Ukraine would be a “death sentence” for Ukraine’s military, accusing Kyiv of trying to drag NATO countries into direct violence. and Russia at this time.
Speaking to the UN Security Council, Dmitry Polyanskiy accused the outgoing Biden administration of trying through its increased support for Ukraine to create “confusion, in Russia and in the new team in the White House.”
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Polyanskiy said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy feared Trump’s return in January, and he had reason to.
“Even if we put to one side the speculation that Donald Trump will cut off aid to Ukraine, the Ukrainian military may be a death sentence, it is clear that he and his team will do whatever it takes to review the aid provided to Kyiv,” he said.
Trump’s transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Polyanskiy’s comments.
Three sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters earlier that Trump is considering Keith Kellogg, a retired military diplomat who presented him with a plan to end the war in Ukraine, as a special envoy for the conflict.
Kellogg’s plan to end the war, which began when Russia invaded Ukrainian territory, includes drawing up military lines in their territories and forcing Kyiv and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June.
Polyanskiy said Russia remained willing to negotiate but Ukraine and its Western allies favored escalation.
He warned the decision taken by the Biden administration and its European allies to allow the Ukrainian military to use long-range missiles inside Russia “put the world on the brink of a nuclear conflict.”
“Every escalation from the West will be met with a strong response,” he said. “I will be honest, we believe it is our right to use our weapons against the forces of countries that allow the use of weapons against our infrastructure.”
Speaking earlier at the same UN meeting, UN Deputy Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca emphasized Russia’s long-term attack on Ukraine and called the use of ballistic missiles and related threats there “a grave danger, an escalating step.”
The Deputy Ambassador of the United States of America, Robert Wood, told the conference that Washington “will continue to increase security assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities, including air defense, and to put Ukraine in a superior position on the battlefield.”
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Rod Nickel)