US, its enablers provoking other countries into military confrontation with Russia and China: Russian Defence Minister

New Delhi [India], April 28 : Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on Friday said the US and its enablers are "provoking" other countries into a military confrontation with Russia and China.

"Washington and its enablers are pursuing their strategic agenda of provoking other countries into military confrontation with undesirable states, most notably Russia and China," the Russian Defence Minister said in his address at the SCO Defence Ministers' Meeting here.

"The conflict in Ukraine is a clear demonstration of this criminal policy. Its real aim is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, threaten China, and maintain its monopoly position in the world," Shoigu said during his address.

He added: "Given Kyiv's refusal to implement the Minsk agreements and the real threat to the residents of Donbas, we decided to launch the special military operation."

The Russia-Ukraine war started on February 24. The war has since taken numerous lives and continues to escalate between the two nations.

The Russian Minister blamed the West for its "advance preparation for a confrontation with the Russian Federation. Large-scale sanctions were immediately imposed on Russia, arms were supplied to Ukraine, intelligence was transmitted, and military advisers and mercenaries were sent to the combat zone."

The West imposed a slew of sanctions against Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, including price caps on its crude and oil products and EU embargoes.

According to the Russian Defence Minister, the military capabilities and capacities of almost all the NATO countries were involved.

Shoigu said: "We have repeatedly stressed that arms deliveries to Kyiv only prolong the conflict, cause more casualties and destruction of infrastructure, and finally boomerang back, affecting the stability of Europe and the world as a whole."

According to him, the transferred weapons end up on the black market and go further into the hands of terrorist orgsations, which poses additional risks, especially given the allegations of depleted urum ammunition to be supplied to the AFU.

Shoigu said Russia has been left with no option but to eliminate the threats emanating from Ukraine militarily.

"Our objectives are clear, and they will be achieved within the special military operation," he said while adding that "the West has launched a global informational campaign to compromise the Russian leadership and it's policies."

"With a disregard to the harm to its economic and political interests, the West demonstrates intransigence and readiness to continue the universal pressure. In the end, all such attempts eventually fail," he said.

The Russian minister then expressed his gratitude to the SCO member states for their principled position and support.

"The SCO independent policies concerning regional and global security challenges could set as an example for international community," he said.

The Russian Defence Minister earlier on Friday met with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The two held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Orgsation (SCO) Defence Ministers' meeting in Delhi.

The two Ministers spoke on a variety of topics related to bilateral defence cooperation, including industrial cooperation and military-to-military ties.

They also discussed the Russian defence industry's participation in the 'Make in India' initiative and ways to provide further impetus to it, the Ministry of Defence said in an official statement.

The SCO Defence Ministers Defence Ministers' meeting in New Delhi was attended by the Defence Ministers of China (General Li Shangfu); Russia (General Sergei Shoigu); Iran (Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Gharaei Ashti); Belarus (Lt Gen Khrenin VG); Kazakhstan (Col Gen Ruslan Zhaxylykov); Uzbekistan (Lt Gen Bakhodir Kurbanov); Kyrgyzstan (Lt Gen Bekbolotov Baktybek Asankalievich) and Tajikistan (Col Gen Sherali Mirzo).

The Ministers discussed issues of common concern including issues of regional and international security under the charter of SCO.

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