Kremlin Spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, has accused some western countries of raising tensions in recent weeks by allowing Ukraine to use weapons they had supplied, against targets inside Russia.
This is something the U.S has not publicly agreed to do yet.
Peskov told reporters, “The member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance – the United States in particular, other European capitals – have in recent days and weeks embarked on a new round of escalation.”
“They are doing this deliberately. We hear a lot of bellicose statements. … They are encouraging Ukraine in every possible way to continue this senseless war.
“This will all, of course, inevitably have consequences and will ultimately be very damaging to the interests of those countries that have taken the path of escalation.”
Dmitry Peskov
Peskov’s statement came ahead of a NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Prague on Thursday, May 30, 2024.
The two-day gathering in the Czech capital is meant to focus on efforts to hammer out a package of support for Ukraine at Nato’s summit in Washington in July.
It comes in the face of growing calls for leading allies to lift restrictions stopping Kyiv from using western weapons to strike inside Russia.
Ukraine has been pressing its supporters, especially the United States, to allow it to use the longer-range weaponry they supply to hit targets inside Russia.
NATO Chief, Jens Stoltenberg said ahead of the meeting that it was time for members to reconsider those limits as they hamper Kyiv’s ability to defend itself.
The US and Germany have so far refused to permit Kyiv to strike over the border out of fear that it could drag them closer to direct conflict with Moscow.
Growing Possibility Of War Between Russia And The West
Meanwhile, Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) Director-General, Ivan Timofeev disclosed to a Russian news agency that the likelihood of a full-scale war breaking out between Russia and the West is growing, but it is not inevitable.
According to him, the looming possibility of an escalation in the Ukrainian conflict includes a direct clash between Russia and the West.
Timofeev noted that a number of officials, particularly in France and the United Kingdom, have said that individual military units from NATO countries may be deployed to Ukraine.
“If they take part in military operations against Russian forces, they will become a legitimate target for our army,” Timofeev explained.
“Let’s hope this possible escalation involves conventional arms and not nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, NATO is spending ten times as much as Russia – if not more – on defense. It’s certainly a dangerous scenario.”
Ivan Timofeev
The RIAC Director-General opined that the West is fully aware of this danger.
He said, “The NATO leadership has made statements that no troops will be sent to Ukraine, and a number of EU politicians have said that this is counterproductive.”
“That means they aren’t united on the issue,” Timofeev stressed.
“As for Russia, we must take every possible scenario into account. We have the capacity to deter these threats. However, such a scenario will cause irreparable damage to everyone.”
Ivan Timofeev
Moreover, Timofeev pointed out that the baseline scenario was that the West would continue to actively assist Ukraine through weapons and equipment supplies.
“The West will also keep working towards containing and isolating Russia,” he noted, adding, “These dividing lines between us may be there for decades.”
He concluded that Russia and the West will live amid a cold, “and sometimes even hot confrontation,” given that the conflict in Ukraine goes on.
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