A new round of tensions over the war in Ukraine will, according to the Kremlin, be brought about by the green light given by the US, France and Britain to Kiev to use long-range missiles.
“If such a decision has been taken and communicated to the Kiev regime, then this will represent a new round of tension and a different situation in terms of US involvement in the conflict,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
According to Peskov, Washington with this move wants to escalate the conflict between Moscow and Kiev.
What impact will the ATACMS missiles have on the battlefield
At the same time, in its analysis, the BBC tries to “read” what the use of these missileswill mean on the battlefield.
As noted, “Ukraine will now be able to hit targets inside Russia (ed. The range of these missiles is 300km), most likely initially around the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces hold more than 1,000 square kilometers of territory.”
“Ukraine may use ATACMS to defend against Russian and North Korean attack, targeting Russian positions, including military bases, infrastructure and ammunition depots,” the British network’s analysis noted.
According to the BBC, however, “The supply of missiles is unlikely to be enough to reverse the course of the war. Russian military equipment, such as aircraft, has already been moved to airfields further into Russia in anticipation of such a decision. But these weapons may give Ukraine some advantage at a time when Russian troops are gaining ground in the east of the country and morale is low.”
“I don’t think it will be decisive,” a Western diplomat in Kiev told the BBC about the use of such missiles. “However, it is a belated symbolic decision to raise the stakes and show military support for Ukraine as it may raise the cost of war for Russia.”
There are also questions about how much ammunition will be provided, said Evelyn Farkas, who
For her part, the deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Obama administration, Evelyn Farkas,
“the question is, of course, how many missiles do they have? We’ve heard that the Pentagon has warned that there are not that many of these missiles that they can deploy to Ukraine.” According to her, ATACMS could have a “positive psychological impact” on Ukraine if they are used to hit targets such as the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to mainland Russia.
War in Ukraine: Immediate ceasefire and call for peace, China’s message
China today renewed its call for peace in Ukraine, which has been given the green light by Washington, according to a US official, to strike targets deep in Russian territory with long-range missiles supplied by the US.
“An immediate cease-fire and a political solution is in the interests of all sides,” Lin Jian said during a regular news conference, responding to a reporter’s question about this U.S. decision.
“What is most urgent is to encourage a mitigation of the situation as soon as possible,” he said.
The US “gave the green light to the use of long-range missiles” in Kiev, a US official who asked not to be identified told AFP yesterday, Sunday.
China presents itself as a neutral country regarding the war in Ukraine and assures that it is not selling lethal weapons to the warriors, unlike the US and other Western states that support Kiev.
Beijing, however, remains an important economic and political ally of Moscow and has never condemned the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
“China has always encouraged and supported all efforts directed toward a peaceful settlement of the crisis,” Lin continued today, adding that Beijing is willing “to continue to play a constructive role (…) in its own way” to that end.
