Russia accused the US of benefiting from providing old weapons to Ukraine

(Dan Tri) – Russia accused the US of transferring old weapons to Ukraine and treating aid to Kiev `like a profitable business project`.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Photo: Tass).

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council meeting in New York City, USA on January 22, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Washington of providing Ukraine with old weapons to build new military capabilities for the country.

Last year, the Washington Post reported that of the $68 billion in military aid that the US Congress approved for Ukraine, nearly 90% of the money went back to the US to make new weapons or replace those used.

According to the above newspaper, a Ukrainian official said `every state in the US is contributing to this effort`, thereby creating more jobs for Americans.

Mr. Lavrov cited the above 90% figure at the United Nations Security Council and he said that the US is upgrading its own arsenal by sending old weapons to Ukraine.

Russia’s top diplomat accused the US of treating the conflict in Ukraine `not as a war that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives but as a profitable business project`.

Neither the US nor Ukraine have commented on Mr. Lavrov’s accusations.

In December 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted that supporting Ukraine in the war with Russia helped the US economy grow.

“If you look at the investments we have made in Ukraine’s defense in response to Russia’s military campaign, 90% of the security assistance we have provided has actually been spent

That has created more jobs for Americans, more growth for America’s economy.

Afterwards, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the above statement, saying that Kiev needs to understand that the US has `earned billions of dollars` from the war in Ukraine, while ordinary Ukrainians died.

Vice Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev also accused the US of wanting to `recoup huge profits` when providing aid to Ukraine, not just helping Kiev.

In a speech on January 22, Mr. Lavrov said the special military campaign that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022 `is not aimed at Ukraine or the Ukrainian people.`

Instead, he declared Russia `was forced to launch a military operation against the Ukrainian government because of its overreaching policies against its own people in eastern and southern Ukraine and

He also accused the West of controlling the Ukrainian government and `has been quietly arming Kiev and preparing for war against Russia` for many years.

Mr. Lavrov also criticized the `peace formula` proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which included provisions such as Russia having to hand over Crimea to Kiev.

`All those formulas are dead ends. The sooner Washington, London, Paris and Brussels realize this, the better for both Ukraine and the West,` he said.