Peace by Negotiations, Not by Arming Ukraine – Moscow

The countries pushing for deliveries of lethal weapons to Ukraine are apparently not interested in peace in the war-torn country, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister said.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The countries calling for lethal arms deliveries to Ukraine are against a diplomatic solution to the crisis, and are not interested in peace in the country, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Meshkov said Thursday.

"Those who are taking this step [supplying lethal weapons] are not interested in peace in Ukraine," Meshkov told RIA Novosti.

The Deputy Foreign Minister noted that if Western countries supplied Ukraine with lethal weapons, it would be a breach of their obligations made within the framework of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Arms Trade Treaty.

"Nobody knows where these weapons will ultimately end up. And…it is in this case a violation of the commitments that our Western partners took on in the OSCE framework, as well as in the framework of the international arms trade treaty," Meshkov said.

Western nations have been at odds over the issue of delivering lethal aid to Ukraine, with the split becoming even more apparent over the past few days.

Last week, a group of US senators called on President Barack Obama to provide lethal assistance to Ukraine. Russia has voiced concern that the proposed US arms deliveries to Kiev could lead to an increase in violence in conflict-stricken Ukraine.