Russia Vows To 'Knock Down' Patriot Missile System, Says US Doesn't Want To End War

Russia said the meeting shows no signs that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready for talks. 

Patriot Missile 'Outdated', US Fighting A 'Proxy War': Russia Reacts To Military Aid To Ukraine ( Image Source :PTI | Getty Images )

Russia has reacted in strongest terms over the US’ assistance of Patriot missiles to Ukraine saying that the Western nation is fighting a proxy war against it and does not want it to end. Russia also said the meeting shows no signs that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is ready for talks. 

Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, "The talks in Washington have shown that neither Ukraine nor the United States is seeking peace. They are simply intent on continuing the fighting," reported BBC.

Reacting to the missile aid, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “The Patriot air defence is outdated. An antidote will always be found … Russia will knock down the Patriot system,” reported The Guardian. 

Hinting that Ukraine will have to surrender in exchange for peace, Peskov said, “All armed conflicts end through negotiations...the sooner this becomes clear to Kyiv, the better.” He added that Patriot missiles would not prevent Russia from “achieving its goals during the special military operation”. 

According to BBC, Russia’s US ambassador Anatoly Antonov said these “provocative actions” would lead to an escalation with severe consequences. He said that Moscow was “trying to appeal to common sense at all levels”, but talk of delivering the Patriot missile system to Kyiv was "deeply disturbing". 

In another package of assistance to Ukraine, the United States has now provided it with $1.85 bn aid including the Patriot missile batteries to tackle the increasing Russian aggression. The deal was finalised in the first foreign visit of Zelensky since the war began in February this year.  

In an address to a joint session of the US Congress on Thursday, Ukraine President Zelensky said that regardless of changes in the Congress", he believed there would be bipartisan support for his country. 

 Zelensky's speech was interrupted 18 times with standing ovations, by nearly all members of Congress. 

Adding on the trajectory of the ongoing war, he said, “It will define whether it will be a democracy – for Ukrainians and for Americans – for all.”  

He said the coming year would be a “turning point” in Ukraine’s struggle to free its land.