WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 (TASS) - The "defensive nature" of weapons handed over to Kiev by Washington has not been at issue long since, Russian Ambassador in the US Anatoly Antonov said.

The decision of the US administration to transfer Bradley fighting vehicles to Ukraine is "a confirmation that our interlocutors in the United States have not even tried to listen to our numerous calls to take into account possible consequences of such a dangerous course by Washington," the Ambassador noted, cited by the press service of the Russian diplomatic mission.

"It is finally becoming clear to the whole international community that in 2014 the US unleashed a real proxy-war against Russia by supporting nazi criminals in Kiev. Any talk about a "defensive nature" of weapons supplied to Ukraine has long become absurd," the Russian diplomat said.

"Even more remarkably, the Administration revealed the abovementioned decision after a phone conversation between [US] President [Joe] Biden and German Chancellor [Olaf] Scholz," Antonov stressed. "The international community must not ignore the fact that Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande confessed: the Minsk agreements served to give time to Kiev to enhance its military capabilities. In view of close ties between Washington and Berlin it becomes clear that the West under US leadership simply deceived our country and started to purposefully weaken Russia much earlier than February 24, 2022," he added.

All the latest actions of the United States, including the decision to allocate a new military aid package for Kiev comprising Bradley fighting vehicles, directly indicate that Washington has no desire for the political settlement in Ukraine, Antonov said.

"Nobody should still have doubts who bears responsibility for prolonging this conflict. All the actions by the Administration indicate a lack of any desire for a political settlement," the Ambassador said, cited by the diplomatic mission.

"Even the unilaterally declared ceasefire by the Russian Federation along the entire line of contact in Ukraine during Orthodox Christmas was labeled as an attempt to ‘find some oxygen’. All this means that Washington is committed to fighting with us ‘to the last Ukrainian,’ while the destiny of people of Ukraine means nothing to the US," Antonov added.