Russia has escalated its rhetoric against the West, accusing the United States of enabling Ukraine’s alleged use of US-supplied weapons against civilians in Russia and blaming France for increasing tensions across Europe.

Maria Zakharova, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, claimed that the US’s approval for Ukraine to use these weapons against Russia equates to admitting responsibility for the deaths of civilians in the Belgorod region.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had confirmed that President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use the weapons to defend its northeastern Kharkiv region but still restricted their use deeper into Russia.

Zakharova asserted that the strikes occurred in Belgorod last week, citing fragments of HIMARS rockets as evidence, though no images or casualty numbers were provided, and the claims remain unverified, Al-Jazeera has reported.

Additionally, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for exacerbating European tensions by pledging to supply Ukraine with Mirage fighter jets and training for Ukrainian pilots.

Written by B.C. Begley