The Russian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned the American ambassador in Moscow and demanded withdrawal of all U.S.-NATO military equipment from Ukraine and an end to “hostile, anti-Russian activity,” the ministry said in a statement.
The note of protest issued to Ambassador Lynne Tracy emphasized that the flow of weapons and the transfer of target designations for strikes against “Russian military and civilian infrastructure” disprove American claims that the United States is not a party to the conflict.
The communication also demanded explanations about the explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines and urged the U.S. not to interfere with investigation into the blasts.
“The ambassador was told that the current aggressive course of the United States to deepen confrontation with Russia in all areas is counterproductive,” the statement said.
The U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Other developments:
►President Joe Biden was in Warsaw on Tuesday, meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda as he consults with NATO allies over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
►The EU climate czar says Putin unwittingly accelerated the Europe’s green transition with his war in Ukraine. Frans Timmermans said Tuesday that the the 27-nation bloc has reduced dependency on Russian fossil fuels and increased renewable energy use.
►U.S. Treasury Deputy Wally Adeyemo says U.S. and allied sanctions on the Kremlin and its military machine have degraded Russia’s ability to replace more than 9,000 pieces of military equipment lost in the war.
Putin blames West for war, withdraws from nuclear treaty
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday again blamed the West for provoking his invasion of Ukraine a year ago and suspended his country’s participation in a nuclear arms treaty.
Putin’s address came just hours before Biden was expected to address, from Poland, his view of Russia’s war in Ukraine as the conflict approaches the one-year mark. Putin’s remarks were mostly a rehash of comments he’s made before, though he did announce he was suspending Moscow’s participation in New START – a strategic nuclear arms reduction treaty between the U.S. and Russia.
New START, the last remaining nuclear arms reduction deal between the two countries, was signed in 2010 and extended for five years in 2021. It limits each side to 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads.
– Kim Hjelmgaard
COMBATIVE SPEECH: Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty while lashing out at West over Ukraine war
Trump says Biden’s Ukraine policy could fuel WWIII
Former President Donald Trump warned that President Joe Biden’s commitment to funding Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion is only expanding the conflict. Trump’s comments came after Biden’s secretive trip to Ukraine for a meeting with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. Trump says his personal relationship with Vladimir Putin would have kept the Russian president from invading Ukraine a year ago.
“If you watch and understand the moves being made by Biden on Ukraine, he is systematically, but perhaps unknowingly, pushing us into what could soon be WORLD WAR III,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social network. “How crazy is that?”
A deeper dive:
• Putin suspends nuclear arms treaty while lashing out at West over Ukraine war
• Joe Biden makes surprise visit to Ukraine ahead of Russian invasion anniversary, walks streets of Kyiv
• They counted the days until they could return to Ukraine. Now, they’re not sure they’ll go back
• Biden in Ukraine: See photos of president in Kyiv nearly one year after Russia’s invasion
• As Americans grow weary of Ukraine war, Biden plans to mark Russia invasion anniversary
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine live updates: Russia demands US halt support for Ukraine