Russian FM: US, NATO directly involved in Ukraine conflict

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister has accused the West of becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine by supplying the country with weapons and training its soldiers. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said on Thursday that Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities and other infrastructure were intended to weaken Ukraine’s military and derail the shipments of Western weapons. Russia’s top diplomat claimed the barrages were intended to “knock out energy facilities that allow you to keep pumping deadly weapons into Ukraine in order to kill the Russians.” Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of targeting infrastructure to reduce the morale of Ukrainians and to force the government in Kyiv into peace talks on Moscow’s terms.