Sending new weapons to Kiev will not change anything on the battlefield

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Ukraine’s accession to NATO would exacerbate tensions in the international arena, after the defense bloc pledged Closer rapprochement with Kyiv At a summit in Vilnius this week.

“I’m sure of that,” Putin said It will not increase Ukraine’s security per seIt will increase the fragility of the world in general and lead to additional tension in the international arena.

He also considered that sending new weapons to Ukraine, especially Western missiles, would not change anything on the battlefield and would only lead to an escalation of the conflict there.

Putin said in comments to state television: “Yes, (the missiles) cause damage, but nothing decisive happens in the combat zones, where (these missiles) were used. The same applies to foreign-made tanks.”

Putin added that tanks provided by Western powers to Ukraine would be a “priority target” for Russian forces fighting there.

In another context, Putin said, Russia may withdraw from the grain export agreement across the Black Sea while the other parties keep their promises.

The agreement, which allows for the safe export of Ukrainian grain and fertilizers from the Black Sea ports, is scheduled to expire next Monday. Moscow has repeatedly threatened not to extend the agreement due to some aspects of the implementation affecting Russian exports.

Putin said that Russia is in contact with the United Nations on this issue, but added that he had not seen a letter addressed to him from the Secretary-General of the United Nations proposing a compromise solution to save the agreement.