Kremlin Blames Western Weapons for Prolonging Ukraine’s ‘Suffering’

The Kremlin has accused Ukraine’s Western allies of prolonging "the suffering of the Ukrainian people" by announcing  new supplies of weapons including light tanks.

 Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said military aid would only make life more difficult for the citizens of the country it reinvaded in February.

 "Fundamentally, these deliveries cannot and will not change anything ... (they) can only prolong the suffering of the Ukrainian people," he said.

 France, Germany and the U.S. last week all pledged armored fighting vehicles, marking a new phase of Western military support at the same time that Ukrainian officials hinted at a new offensive in the spring.

 Western allies had been very cautious about which weapons systems they send, fearful of antagonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin and provoking a Russian response beyond the borders of Ukraine.

 But France’s decision to supply the French-made AMX-10 RC to Ukraine – a light tank in service since the 1980s – made France the first Western country to send western-style tanks to Ukraine.

 The floodgates opened and later on the same day and in a joint statement, the U.S. said it would send 50 Bradley fighting vehicles and Germany around 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles.