Moscow Warns Washington of a "Catastrophic Scenario"

The Russian ambassador to Washington, Anatoly Antonov, said on Friday that Russia has continuously warned the United States that its approach is leading the world towards a catastrophic scenario. The Russian ambassador stated in a press release: "We have consistently warned Washington that its bet on inflicting a strategic defeat on us in the battlefield is rapidly leading the world to a catastrophic scenario." Antonov also denied claims that Russia threatens to use nuclear weapons, describing such allegations as hollow and irresponsible. He added that "the Americans and their allies are waging a comprehensive hybrid war against Russia on our territories." The Russian ambassador noted that the United States is simultaneously exploiting its NATO partners by forcing them to finance the prosperity of the American military-industrial complex. He stated, "The American defense industry has not seen such funding even during the Cold War years." Earlier, the White House said that Russian statements regarding the risks of a nuclear conflict are dangerous and called for their de-escalation. On Thursday, the United States announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $2.5 billion, which specifically includes hundreds of armored vehicles of various types, but does not feature heavy "Abrams" tanks. With this new tranche, total U.S. military aid to Ukraine has risen to $26.7 billion since the start of the Russian military offensive on February 24.