The Kremlin warns that the use of US missiles would represent a “radical change” in the war

ADVERTISEMENT

The Kremlin has said US President Joe Biden’s move to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles to invade Russia would be a “radical change in the essence and nature of the conflict.”

In a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry, the Kremlin added that a move by Ukraine to use the missiles to strike Russian territory would mean “the direct involvement of the United States and its satellites in military action against Russia.”

Although Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on Biden’s decision, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov confirmed that the move made it clear that Washington is “adding fuel to the fire and provoking further tensions” over the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Reports emerged on Sunday that Biden had eased restrictions on Ukraine’s use of longer-range weapons, allowing the war-torn country to use the US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS).

Although the White House has not yet made a formal announcement, a German government spokesperson said on Monday that Berlin had been informed of the measure.

The weapons, which Ukraine has been requesting from the US for months, will allow Ukraine to attack military targets deeper inside Russia.

Biden had previously ruled out supplying Ukraine with such weapons, saying it would trigger a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO and cause a dangerous escalation of the conflict.

His change of heart could be attributed to North Korea’s entry into the conflict, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Assessments by U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies indicate that up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang to fight Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a surprise uprising earlier this year.

In June, Putin warned that Moscow would retaliate by supplying longer-range weapons to others to strike Western targets if NATO allowed Ukraine to use a weapon of its allies to attack Russian territory.

“The Westerners are supplying weapons to Ukraine and saying: ‘We have nothing under our control here and it doesn’t matter how they are used,’” Putin said at the time. “Well, we can also say: ‘We delivered something to someone.’ – and then we have no control over anything.’ And let them think about it.”

The move introduces an uncertain and new factor into the conflict, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacting to the news in a rather muted manner in his speech on Sunday, where he said: “The missiles will speak for themselves.”

The decision, which represents a major policy shift from Biden, has drawn mixed reactions, with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy refusing to say whether Britain would follow the US, adding that authorizing such weapons would “would jeopardize operational security and only play into Putin’s hands.”

However, President Andrzej Duda of Poland praised the decision as a “very important, perhaps even a breakthrough moment” in the war.

Additional Resources • AP