Former Ukrainian Prime Minister: Trump's New Weapons Announcement Could Spark Armed Conflict
Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov said that US President Donald Trump's recent announcement about providing more weapons to Kiev is escalating tensions, and that the current Kiev government is completely dependent on the West.
In an interview with TASS news agency on July 16, former Ukrainian Prime Minister Nikolay Azarov (2010-2014) said that US President Donald Trump's recent announcement of arms aid to Ukraine has actually pushed the situation to the brink of escalating armed conflict.
"Unfortunately, the Trump administration has changed its course after the announcement on arms supplies, a move that is pushing the situation towards an escalation of armed conflict," Azarov commented on the reason for the stalled peace talks in Ukraine.
According to Mr. Azarov, a “non-independent government” has been operating in Ukraine since the 2014 coup. He said this government is fully funded by the West, not only through the supply of weapons but also equipment to maintain the operation of thermal power plants.
"And so this government is like being pulled by the strings and told what to do. For example, the British side insists that they should fight. German leaders also say that there is no need for any more diplomatic efforts because everything has been exhausted and they should fight. So the Kiev government has been doing what they are told," TASS quoted Mr. Azarov as concluding.
Earlier, on July 14, President Donald Trump announced plans to send more US weapons and military aid to Kiev. Notably, this aid package will be purchased by European countries under NATO coordination. Mr. Trump also threatened to impose "about 100% tariffs" on Russia and Moscow's trading partners if the two sides "do not reach an agreement within 50 days."