Russia-Ukraine tension continue to simmer

MOSCOW / KYIV – Russian-Ukrainian relations continue to simmer. During a recent television program, Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on remarks made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky about the Second World War, saying that they could have a negative impact on relations between Russia and Ukraine.

During his visit to Poland in January, Zelensky said that the Soviet Union, on an equal footing with Germany, was responsible for the outbreak of World War II.

When asked if he would attend Russia’s Victory Parade in Moscow on 24 June, and whether he had been invited, Zelensky replied, “”No, I wouldn’t have gone. They seem not to have sent an official invitation.”

As tension between the two neighbors, at war since 2014, remain high, the U.S. military has prepared a delivery of Javelin anti-tank missiles for Ukraine.

The U.S Embassy in Ukraine has announced that Washington will provide weapons and equipment worth $60 million to Kyiv, including communications equipment, ammunition, and Javelin missiles.

Russia has repeatedly warned U.S that supplying arms to Ukraine will lead to an escalation of the 2014 conflict in Ukraine’s southeastern Donbas region.