Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia’s state-run RIA Novosti news agency that he had a very negative view of the US military aid package, which would include the M142 high-mobility ballistic missile (HIMARS).

The weapons, which Ukraine has long sought, are intended to assist in more precise strikes by enemy forces at greater distances. The United States has so far refused to supply long-range weapons for fear that they could be used against targets in Russia.

Biden sends powerful weapons

But US President Joe Biden said the aid would strengthen Kyiv’s negotiating position against Moscow and make finding a diplomatic solution more likely. Biden wrote in an article in the New York Times that the United States would send advanced missile assemblies to Ukraine.

In addition to weapons, the US president addressed other key issues in the conflict. He said the United States would not seek to oust Vladimir Putin. “As much as I do not agree with Mr. Putin, the United States will not try to oust him. “Until the United States and our allies are attacked, we will not be directly involved in this war,” he wrote.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said his country “has no intention of invading Russia”.