Kremlin says Biden is ‘fuelling fire’ of Ukraine conflict as US greenlights long-range missiles
By Shweta Kumari | First Published Nov 18, 2024, 7:09 PM ISTThe Joe Biden administration is reportedly permitting Ukraine to deploy US-manufactured long-range missiles for strikes deep within Russian territory. The Kremlin has swiftly condemned the decision, accusing Washington of intensifying the ongoing conflict.
The Joe Biden administration is reportedly permitting Ukraine to deploy US-manufactured long-range missiles for strikes deep within Russian territory. The Kremlin has swiftly condemned the decision, accusing Washington of intensifying the ongoing conflict.
“It is clear that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps to continue to add fuel to the fire and to further inflame tensions around this conflict,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, reported the Guardian.
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US media outlets, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, reported over the weekend that Ukraine has received clearance to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), a weapon President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has persistently sought for targeting key locations inside Russia.
Peskov referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's September warning, in which Putin asserted that allowing Kyiv to wield long-range weapons against Russian territory would essentially position NATO as a direct combatant against Moscow. “Moscow will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face,” Putin had cautioned.
Russia promises retaliation
On Monday, Moscow hinted at potential countermeasures but remained tight-lipped on specifics. Leonid Slutsky, head of Russia’s ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party, declared that the US’s actions amounted to direct involvement in the conflict. “This will inevitably entail the toughest response from Russia, based on the threats that will be posed to our country,” he stated.
The Kremlin’s media machine echoed these sentiments. Dmitry Kiselyov, a prominent propagandist, issued stark warnings, suggesting that the West was risking grave repercussions. “The response could be anything. Anything,” he said ominously.
Russian lawmaker Maria Butina intensified the rhetoric, accusing the Biden administration of pushing the world closer to a catastrophic conflict. “These guys, Biden’s administration, is trying to escalate the situation to the maximum while they still have power and are still in office,” she said. Butina expressed hope that President-elect Donald Trump would overturn the decision, adding, “They are seriously risking the start of World War Three which is not in anybody’s interest.”
Geo-political tensions deepen
The outlet speculated that Russia might retaliate by arming Yemen’s Houthi rebels to strike US vessels in the Red Sea. Putin himself hinted at broader implications during a summer press conference, suggesting that Moscow could supply advanced weaponry to nations targeting Western interests.
"If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply our weapons," Putin remarked.
Reports suggest that Ukraine’s use of ATACMS will initially be restricted to the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces mounted a cross-border incursion last summer.
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