Moscow: The Kremlin issued a warning on Wednesday, stating that Russia would deliver an “appropriate response” if the United States authorizes Ukraine to strike deep inside Russian territory using long-range ATACMS missiles. This comes amid suspicions in Moscow that Washington has already decided to lift restrictions on Kyiv’s use of such weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has consistently called on the West to provide his forces with long-range missiles to target Russia, and on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden indicated that the matter was under consideration. “We are working that out now,” Biden said when asked if the US would permit Ukraine to use ATACMS.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking during a daily briefing, expressed concerns that Washington had likely made the decision to allow Ukraine access to these weapons for strikes deep inside Russia. “Moscow would have an appropriate response if that happens,” Peskov stated, while adding that “there is no need to expect some kind of response everywhere.”
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“To all these actions, the SMO [special military operation] is the response,” Peskov noted, referencing the Kremlin’s term for the Ukraine conflict. He further claimed, “Each of these decisions, taken by the collective West and then attributed to Ukraine, is an additional confirmation of the justification, necessity, and inevitability of the SMO.”
The US has previously hesitated to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles, fearing that strikes on Russian soil could escalate the ongoing 2-1/2-year conflict. However, sources informed Reuters last week that Washington is nearing an agreement to provide Ukraine with such weapons, though Kyiv would still need to wait several months while the US addresses technical issues before any delivery could occur.
