By David Brunnström
(Reuters) – Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador said on Wednesday that any decision by President Donald Trump's incoming administration to cut aid to Ukraine would be a “death sentence” for the Ukrainian military, as he accused Kiev of trying to involving countries in direct conflict. with Russia in the meantime.
In a speech to the UN Security Council, Dmitry Polyanskiy accused the outgoing Biden administration of wanting to create a “mess both in Russia and with the new team in the White House” through its increased support for Ukraine.
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Polyanskiy said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was terrified of Trump's return in January and had reason to be.
“Even if we put aside the prediction that Donald Trump will cut aid to Ukraine, which would essentially be a death sentence for the Ukrainian military, it is becoming increasingly clear that he and his team will at least conduct an audit of aid to Kiev.” , 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 previously told Reuters that Trump is considering Keith Kellogg, a retired lieutenant general 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 sovereign territory, involves freezing the battle lines at their current locations and forcing Kiev and Moscow to the negotiating table, Reuters reported in June.
Polyanskiy said Russia has repeatedly offered to negotiate, but Ukraine and its Western allies favor escalation.
He warned that the decision by the Biden administration and its European allies to allow the Ukrainian military to use long-range missiles far inside Russia had “put the world on the brink of a global nuclear conflict.”
“Any wave of escalation from the West will be responded to decisively,” he said. “I'll be honest: We believe it is our right to use our weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow the use of weapons against our facilities.”
Earlier during the same U.N. session, U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenca highlighted Russia's recent long-range missile attacks in Ukraine, calling the use of ballistic missiles and related threats there “a very dangerous, escalating development.”
U.S. Deputy U.N. Ambassador Robert Wood told the session that Washington would “continue to expand security assistance to Ukraine to strengthen its capabilities, including air defense, and place Ukraine in the best possible position on the battlefield.”
(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Rod Nickel)
