Russia official warns countries supplying Ukraine with more powerful weapons risk their own destruction

The talker of Russia's parliament warned Sunday that countries supplying Ukraine with much almighty weapons risked their ain destruction, a connection that followed caller pledges of armored vehicles, aerial defence systems and different instrumentality but not the conflict tanks Kyiv requested.

"Supplies of violative weapons to the Kyiv authorities would pb to a planetary catastrophe," State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin said. "If Washington and NATO proviso weapons that would beryllium utilized for striking peaceful cities and making attempts to prehend our territory arsenic they endanger to do, it would trigger a retaliation with much almighty weapons."

Ukraine's supporters pledged billions of dollars successful subject assistance to Ukraine connected Friday, though the caller commitments were overshadowed by defence leaders failing astatine an planetary gathering successful Ramstein, Germany, to hold connected Ukraine's urgent petition for German-made Leopard 2 conflict tanks.

Germany is 1 of the main donors of weapons to Ukraine, and it ordered a reappraisal of its Leopard 2 stocks successful mentation for a imaginable greenish light. Nonetheless, the authorities successful Berlin has shown caution astatine each measurement of expanding its commitments to Ukraine, a hesitancy seen arsenic rooted successful its past and governmental culture.

Its tentativeness has drawn dense criticism, peculiarly from Poland and the Baltic states, countries connected NATO's eastbound flank controlled by Moscow successful the past and which consciousness particularly threatened by Russia's renewed imperial ambitions.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that if Germany does not consent to transportation Leopard tanks to Ukraine, his state was prepared to physique a "smaller coalition" of countries that would nonstop theirs anyway.

"Almost a twelvemonth had passed since the outbreak of war," Morawiecki said successful an interrogation with Polish authorities quality bureau PAP published Sunday. "Evidence of the Russian army's warfare crimes tin beryllium seen connected tv and connected YouTube. What much does Germany request to unfastened its eyes and commencement to enactment successful enactment with the imaginable of the German state?"

"Above all, Berlin should not weaken oregon sabotage the activities of different countries," Morawiecki said.

In Washington, 2 starring lawmakers urged the U.S. connected Sunday to nonstop immoderate of its Abrams tanks to Ukraine, successful the involvement of overcoming Germany's reluctance to stock its own, much suitable Leopard 2 tanks.

"If we announced we were giving an Abrams tank, conscionable one, that would unleash" the travel of tanks from Germany, Rep. Michael McCaul, the Republican president of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, told ABC's "This Week connected Sunday." "What I perceive is that Germany's waiting connected america to instrumentality the lead."

Sen. Chris Coons, a Democrat who is connected the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and considered adjacent to President Joe Biden, besides spoke up for the U.S. sending Abrams.

"I americium acrophobic that Russia is rearming and preparing for a outpouring offensive," Coons, said. "If it requires our sending immoderate Abrams tanks successful bid to unlock getting the Leopard tanks from Germany, from Poland, from different allies, I would enactment that."

Dmitry Medvedev, the lawman caput of the Russian Security Council, said the gathering successful Ramstein "left nary uncertainty that our enemies volition effort to exhaust oregon amended destruct us," adding that "they person capable weapons" to execute the purpose.

Medvedev, a erstwhile Russian president, warned connected his messaging app transmission that Russia could question to signifier a subject confederation with foes of the United States. He didn't sanction the nations helium had successful mind, but Russia has defence practice with Iran and Venezuela, an existing subject confederation with Belarus and beardown ties with North Korea.. Since invading Ukraine, Russia besides has accrued some the scope and the fig of its associated subject drills with China.

"In lawsuit of a protracted conflict, a caller subject confederation volition look that volition see the nations that are fed up with the Americans and a battalion of their castrated dogs," Medvedev said.

Ukraine is asking for much weapons arsenic it anticipates Russia's forces launching a caller violative successful the spring.

Oleksii Danilov, the caput of Ukraine's Security and Defense Council, warned that Russia whitethorn effort to intensify its attacks successful the southbound and successful the eastbound and to chopped proviso channels of Western weapons, portion conquering Kyiv "remains the main dream" successful President Vladimir Putin's "fantasies," helium said.

He described the Kremlin's extremity successful the struggle arsenic a "total and implicit genocide, a full warfare of destruction."

"Moscow wants to wholly destruct Ukraine arsenic a humanities improvement — its language, history, culture, carriers of Ukrainian identity," Danilov wrote successful a file published by Ukrainska Pravda.

Among those calling for much arms for Ukraine was the erstwhile British premier minister, Boris Johnson, who made a astonishment travel to Ukraine connected Sunday.

"This is the infinitesimal to treble down and to springiness the Ukrainians each the tools they request to decorativeness the job. The sooner Putin fails, the amended for Ukraine and for the full world," Johnson said successful a statement.

Johnson, who faces caller questions astatine location implicit his idiosyncratic finances, was pictured successful the Kyiv portion municipality of Borodyanka. He said helium traveled to Ukraine astatine the invitation of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The past week was particularly tragic for Ukraine adjacent by the standards of a brutal warfare that has gone connected for astir a year, sidesplitting tens of thousands of people, uprooting millions much and creating immense demolition of Ukrainian cities.

A barrage of Russian missiles struck an flat analyzable successful the southeastern metropolis of Dnipro connected Jan. 14, sidesplitting astatine slightest 45 civilians, including six children. On Wednesday, a authorities chopper carrying the interior curate and different officials crashed into a gathering lodging a kindergarten successful a suburb of Kyiv. The curate and a kid connected the crushed were among the 14 radical killed.

Zelenskyy, who connected Saturday mourned the victims of the chopper crash, vowed Sunday that Ukraine would prevail successful the war.

"We are agreed due to the fact that we are strong. We are beardown due to the fact that we are united," the Ukrainian person said successful a video code arsenic helium marked Ukraine Unity Day, which commemorates the time successful 1919 erstwhile East and West Ukraine were united.

"Dear invincible people, Happy Ukrainian Unity Day!" helium said.