Russia fumes at West's decision to send tanks to Ukraine, says red lines have been crossed

Russia expressed mounting fury astatine the imaginable of modern Western tanks being sent to Ukraine, calling it "extremely dangerous" and saying erstwhile "red lines" were present a happening of the past.

Germany announced earlier Wednesday that it was acceptable to nonstop 14 Leopard 2 conflict tanks to Ukraine, and to let different countries to nonstop their ain German-made tanks to Kyiv. The U.S. is besides expected to denote its ain volition to nonstop Abrams tanks to Ukraine imminently.

The usage of modern Western tanks by Ukraine is apt to adhd momentum to its efforts to propulsion Russian forces retired of occupied areas of the country, peculiarly the eastbound Donbas region, but Russia sees the acquisition of tanks arsenic further grounds that the West is warring what it sees arsenic a proxy warfare against it successful Ukraine.

The Russian Embassy successful Berlin called the German government's determination "extremely dangerous" and said it "takes the struggle to a caller level of confrontation."

In a connection online, translated by Google, it said the determination "contradicts the statements of German politicians astir the unwillingness of the FRG [Federal Republic of Germany] to beryllium drawn into it. Unfortunately, this happens implicit and implicit again." 

The embassy said it was present convinced that Germany and its closest allies were "not funny successful a diplomatic solution to the Ukrainian crisis" but were "set up for its imperishable escalation and unlimited pumping of the Kyiv authorities with much and much deadly weapons." 

Lastly, it warned that "red lines," oregon limits, for some sides were present "a happening of the past," echoing akin comments from Russia's overseas ministry earlier Wednesday arsenic it reacted to the imaginable of U.S. Abrams tanks being sent to Ukraine, claiming the U.S. "has unequivocally stated its tendency to inflict a strategical decision connected Russia."

"There is simply a hybrid warfare going connected against our country, which Foreign Minister [Sergei] Lavrov spoke astir successful item conscionable recently. Arguments astir the reddish lines are a happening of the past," the overseas ministry told authorities quality bureau Tass, successful comments translated by Google.

"The United States has unequivocally stated its tendency to inflict a strategical decision connected Russia. It is intolerable not to announcement the reality," the ministry added, Tass reported.

Following Germany's determination connected tanks, each eyes are connected the U.S. to spot whether it volition denote it's acceptable to nonstop a fig of its ain Abrams tanks to Ukraine. Three elder U.S. officials told NBC News Tuesday that the Biden medication is preparing to nonstop a mates twelve Abrams tanks to Ukraine though they stressed the determination was not final.

Germany was reportedly reluctant to nonstop its ain tanks unless the U.S. did the same, and a defence acme successful Germany past Friday failed to scope an statement implicit tanks, with the U.S. remaining non-committal astir sending Abrams. But Germany's U-turn signals a alteration of bosom successful Washington too.

Even successful the lack of a White House announcement, Russia's Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov slammed the imaginable of U.S. tanks successful Ukraine, describing the determination arsenic "another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation."

"If the United States decides to proviso tanks, it volition beryllium intolerable to warrant specified measurement utilizing arguments astir 'defensive weapons,'" helium said connected Telegram Wednesday, adding that American tanks would beryllium "destroyed [just like] each different samples of NATO subject equipment."

Russia has repeatedly warned the West against sending tanks to Ukraine, saying they would beryllium a morganatic people for Russia's equipped forces, similar different NATO weaponry, and would marque immoderate imaginable of talks to extremity the warfare an adjacent much distant possibility.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov commented astatine a media briefing Wednesday that "now we tin lone authorities that determination are presently nary prospects for entering the diplomatic path."

"Unfortunately, we spot a batch of manifestations of the condemnation of a fig of politicians, a fig of experts, the subject and truthful on, who judge that it is by continuing the warfare that the information of the continent tin beryllium ensured. This is an absurd belief," Peskov said successful comments translated by NBC News.

Asked astir the anticipation of U.S. Abrams being sent to Ukraine, Peskov told reporters, "I americium convinced that galore experts recognize the absurdity of this thought too. It's conscionable that, successful presumption of technological aspects, this program is rather a failure, and astir importantly, it is simply a wide overestimation of the imaginable that it volition adhd to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," helium said.

"But we person already said that these tanks would pain up conscionable similar each the others," Peskov said.