The US will not send Patriot anti-aircraft systems specialists to Ukraine, says Lavrov.
The Russian Foreign Minister warned that any arms shipment to Kiev would become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces.
Sputnik Brazil - Washington has informed Moscow through diplomatic channels that it does not plan to send its specialists to Ukraine along with US Patriot air defense systems, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"We asked the Americans, through the channels our embassy still has, if the decision to move the Patriot battery, given the difficulty of its use, meant that American specialists would be there [in Ukraine]. They explained to us quite clearly that this was not planned, since the Americans do not want to and will not fight Russia directly." said Lavrov on Rossiya 1 channel.
According to U.S. officials, the senior diplomat continued, the Patriot systems will be gradually put into operation over several months until the Ukrainian military masters the technology.
Last week, the president of the USAJoe Biden announced a new installment aid, amounting to US$1,85 billion (approximately R$9,7 billion), in direct equipment transfers and contracts to supply artillery ammunition, tanks, and rocket launchers to Ukraine.
The package will include a missile battery Patriot surface-to-air missile exercise, in which the US was supposed to train Ukrainian forces to reinforce Ukraine's air defenses.
Many countries condemned the special military operation Russia launched an air raid in Ukraine on February 24th and supported Kyiv with weapons supplies, donations, humanitarian aid, and sanctions against Moscow. Russia sent protest notes to all countries supplying weapons to Ukraine.
Lavrov warned that any arms shipment to Kiev would become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces. In turn, the Kremlin spokesmanDmitri Peskov commented that attempts to saturate Ukraine with weapons do not favor the progress of negotiations and will have a negative impact on the situation.
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