Kremlin says US fighting ‘indirect war’ against Russia after Zelensky visit

MOSCOW - The Kremlin on Thursday said that

US supplies of Patriot missile systems to Ukraine

, announced during Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Washington on Wednesday, would not contribute to settling the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, and would not prevent Russia from achieving its goals.

In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there had been no signs of readiness for peace talks during

Mr Zelensky’s visit

, and that this was evidence that the United States was fighting a proxy war with Russia “to the last Ukrainian”, adding that the Ukrainian president and his US counterpart Joe Biden were refusing to hear “Russia’s concerns”.

“We can say with regret that so far neither President (Joe) Biden nor President Zelensky have said even a few words that could be perceived as potential readiness to listen to Russia’s concerns,” said Mr Peskov.

“Not a single word was heard warning Zelensky against the continued shelling of residential buildings in towns and villages in Donbas and there were no real calls for peace.”

“This suggests that the United States is continuing its line of de facto fighting an indirect war with Russia to the last Ukrainian,” he added.

Hours before Mr Zelensky’s visit, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would next year continue developing its military potential and the combat readiness of its nuclear forces.

Mr Zelensky’s visit to the United States was his first trip outside Ukraine since Russia invaded it on Feb 24.

Before addressing a joint meeting of Congress, Mr Zelensky held a meeting with Mr Biden at the White House, during which Mr Biden pledged to deliver one Patriot surface-to-air missile battery systems.

Ukraine had previously requested Patriots, saying that they would help bolster its air defences as Russian missile strikes on critical infrastructure have become more regular.

The Patriot is one of the most advanced US air defence systems, capable of intercepting threats, such as aircraft and ballistic missiles.

Ukrainian troops will learn how to use it in Germany, and it will be several months before they can deploy it on the battlefield. Moscow has said once deployed, the systems will be a legitimate target for Russian strikes.  REUTERS, AFP