Russia's war aims in Ukraine widen, U.S. says any annexations will be challenged

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a news conference following the Astana Process summit in Tehran, Iran July 19, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) - Russia's military "tasks" in Ukraine now go beyond the eastern Donbas region, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, as its forces shelled eastern and southern Ukraine.

Lavrov also told state news agency RIA Novosti that Moscow's objectives will expand still further if the West keeps supplying Kyiv with long-range weapons such as the U.S.-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS).