Russia fumes at West's decision to send tanks to Ukraine, says red lines have been crossed

Key Points

• Russia expressed mounting fury at the prospect of modern Western tanks being sent to Ukraine.
• The Kremlin's spokesman described it as an "absurd" plan that put paid to any prospect of talks to end the war.
• The Russian Embassy in Berlin called the German government's decision "extremely dangerous" and said it "takes the conflict to a new level of confrontation."

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends an annual meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia, December 21, 2022.

Sergei Fadeichev | Sputnik | Reuters

Russia expressed mounting fury at the prospect of modern Western tanks being sent to Ukraine, calling it "extremely dangerous" and saying previous "red lines" were now a thing of the past.

Germany announced earlier Wednesday that it was ready to send 14 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, and to allow other countries to send their own German-made tanks to Kyiv. The U.S. is also expected to announce its own intention to send Abrams tanks to Ukraine imminently.