Moscow has warned the West it will “regret” sending military aid to Ukraine.
The comments come as western defence ministers gathered at the Ramstein airbase in Germany to discuss sending further support to Ukraine.
European leaders urged Berlin to give the green light for the delivery of German-produced Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine in an attempt to drive back Moscow’s forces. However, no decision was reached.
Before the meeting, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov urged the West not to supply additional tanks to Kyiv.
“We have repeatedly said that such supplies will not fundamentally change anything, but will add problems for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people”, Peskov said.
“It really is developing in an upward spiral”, he replied when asked whether supplying increasingly advanced weapons to Ukraine translated to an escalation in conflict.
“We see a growing indirect and sometimes direct involvement of Nato countries in this conflict…we see a devotion to the dramatic delusion that Ukraine can succeed on the battlefield.
“This is a dramatic delusion of the western community that will more than once be cause for regret, we are sure of that.”
The Kremlin added that its relationship with the US is at its “lowest point historically”, adding that there was no hope of bilateral relations improving in the foreseeable future.
After the meeting Poland’s defence minister said 15 countries that have the German-made Leopards discussed the issue but no decisions were made. Mariusz Blaszczak called the meeting a “good discussion among allies” and said the matter would be discussed again at future talks.
Though the tank debate was unresolved, Germany’s new defence minister suggested the issue was moving forward.
Germany would need to consent for the tanks to be given to Ukraine, which is not a member of Nato.
Despite pleas from Ukrainian officials, Germany has so far resisted mounting pressure to quickly supply Leopard 2 tanks to Kyiv, or at least clear the way for other countries, such as Poland, to deliver them from their own stocks.
Speaking to reporters outside the conference hall at midday on Friday, German defence minister Boris Pistorius said that while there was no resolution yet, “we will make our decisions as soon as possible.”
He said he had ordered the ministry to look into the tank stocks Germany has so he can be prepared for a possible green light and be able to “act immediately.”
Mr Pistorius added that Germany will “balance all the pros and contras before we decide things like that. — I am very sure that there will be a decision in the short term but — I don’t know how the decision will look.”
