LONDON: Russia has issued a formal warning to the United States and other allies against sending weapons to Ukraine.

According to the BBC, the warning came in the form of a formal diplomatic communication from Moscow, a copy of which was examined by media outlets in the United States. As per the BBC, the two-page diplomatic statement, which was delivered to the US State Department by the Russian embassy in Washington, warns that US and NATO arms supplies are "adding fuel" to the situation in Ukraine and might lead to "unpredictable consequences," as Russian diplomats put it.

It was sent on Tuesday, as news of a fresh US military aid plan for Ukraine began to circulate. President Biden approved the supply of $800 million in military aid just hours later, including, for the first time, long-range artillery weaponry like howitzers, with the goal of matching Russia's military power in Ukraine.

According to a senior US administration source, Russia's warning might be interpreted as an acknowledgement that US and NATO military support to Ukraine is working.

The first part of this latest consignment is scheduled to arrive in Ukraine in the coming days, as Russian forces continue to mobilise in the country's east in preparation for a major attack on Ukraine's disputed Donbas area in the coming weeks.  Since the war began, the United States has provided Ukraine with more than USD3 billion in military aid.

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