MOSCOW. Feb 7 (Interfax) - Washington and U.S. allies are trying to drag out the conflict in Ukraine as long as possible and such steps are dragging NATO countries into the confrontation and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said.
"The United States and its allies are trying to prolong the conflict as much as possible. For this purpose, they began supplying heavy offensive weapons, openly urging Ukraine to seize our territories. In fact, such steps are drawing NATO countries into the conflict and could lead to an unpredictable level of escalation," Shoigu said at a teleconference on Tuesday.
"The groups of Russian troops continue to crush all weapons and hardware supplied to Kiev, both along their supply routes and in combat positions," he added.