A Ukrainian soldier watches a Grad multiple launch rocket system firing shells with flyers near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Aug 13, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)

MOSCOW - Washington is deliberately prolonging the Ukrainian conflict, said Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces on Thursday.

"Washington is pursuing a policy that seeks to prolong the Ukrainian conflict. For this, (the United States) is providing Ukraine with significant military assistance," he said during a briefing for foreign military attaches.

Gerasimov further pointed out that major changes are underway, including the formation of "a new multipolar world," where "the hegemony of the United States and its allies is gradually coming to an end."

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"Washington is striving to preserve the Western-centric world at all costs, to ensure global dominance and to maintain its ability to dictate its terms to other countries, suppressing their legitimate interests in the security sector," he said.