Russia confirmed that the American Patriot systems and any other weapons acquired by the Ukrainian side will be a legitimate target for it, with the continuing echoes of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States.
"So far, we note with regret that President (US Joe) Biden and President Zelensky have not said anything that could be considered a possible intention to listen to Russian concerns," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Peskov believed that no "real calls for peace" were issued during the visit, which indicates that the United States is continuing "an indirect war against Russia until the last Ukrainian," as he put it.
The Russian presidential spokesman stressed that the Patriot systems and any other weapons provided to Ukraine would be a legitimate target for the Russian forces, and believed that the United States and other countries' continued promotion of arms supplies to Kyiv "does not contribute to a quick settlement."
In the same context, Konstantin Kosatoev, Vice-President of the Russian Federation Council, said that regardless of what the US president says about defensive weapons, Russia has every right to view these supplies as another important step towards America's direct involvement in this conflict, as he put it.
Zelensky's visit
The Ukrainian president received a hero's welcome during a lightning visit to Washington, during which the US president pledged to support Kyiv with nearly $1.8 billion in military supplies, including for the first time the Patriot missile defense system.
After their meeting at the White House, the Ukrainian president delivered a speech to the US Congress, in which he called for accelerating US aid to his country to achieve victory over Russia, and indicated that he had discussed with Biden a 10-point Ukrainian peace initiative.
In his speech, Zelensky warned of the "threat posed by Iranian drones" to his country's vital infrastructure.
For its part, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the "repeated accusations and inappropriate statements" about Iran by the Ukrainian president before the US Congress.
Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, said that Tehran has responded "repeatedly to Kyiv's baseless accusations regarding the alleged drones."
Kanaani added that Iran reaffirms that it has not exported any military equipment to either side of the war in Ukraine, stressing Iran's respect for the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Shoigu inspects his troops
On the ground, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today, Thursday, that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu went to the front line in Ukraine to inspect the Russian army sites, in the second visit of this kind announced in less than a week.
The ministry said via Telegram that Shoigu inspected on the front lines "the conditions for the deployment of military personnel and equipment," and he also inspected "the areas of deployment of military units, and the conditions for shelter and heating." The message was accompanied by a video clip of the Minister of Defense.
Meanwhile, the chief of staff of the Russian army, Valery Gerasimov, announced that the efforts of his forces in Ukraine are currently focused on controlling the entire Donetsk province in the east of the country.
Russian news agencies quoted Gerasimov as saying, "The situation on the front line has stabilized, and the main efforts of our forces are focused on completing the liberation of the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic" declared by pro-Moscow separatists, which Russia annexed to its territory along with 3 other Ukrainian provinces last September.
The Russian Chief of Staff indicated that the length of the front in Ukraine is currently 815 kilometers.
Gerasimov stated that the West has provided Ukraine with more than 350 tanks and about 5,000 drones since the beginning of Russia's "special military operation", according to Moscow's designation.
He pointed out that the United States, Britain, Poland and Romania provide the largest contribution to the supply of weapons to Ukraine.