The possible deliveries of battle tanks by Washington to Ukraine will be "another blatant provocation" against Russia, Anatoly Antonov, Russia's ambassador to the United States, said on Wednesday (Jan 25).

"It is obvious that Washington is purposefully trying to inflict a strategic defeat on us," Antonov said in remarks published on the embassy's Telegram messaging app.

"If the United States decides to supply tanks, then justifying such a step with arguments about 'defensive weapons' will definitely not work. This would be another blatant provocation against the Russian Federation."

The United States was expected to announce as soon as Wednesday that it will send heavy tanks to Ukraine.