Slovak Prime Minister, Robert Fico has disclosed that the decision by the Biden administration to authorize Ukraine to fire US missiles deep into Russia has led to global escalation and shock.
He noted that the escalation caused by Biden’s decision is “shocking and truly has no place in 2024.”
“We could also interpret this as the old administration trying to complicate potential negotiations for the new President…I am a person who wishes for the establishment of peace and the beginning of negotiations, as the current situation is indeed reckless for the entire world.”
Robert Fico
The Slovak Prime Minister also rejected the belief that this escalation would not impact “those living far away, in Spain, England, or America.”
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, Russian President, Vladimir Putin stated that the US and its NATO allies had previously announced the authorization for the use of long-range precision weapons, after which US and British missiles were fired at Russian military facilities in the Bryansk and Kursk regions.
According to Putin, Russia retaliated by deploying its new intermediate-range ballistic missile called the Oreshnik.
Russia targeted Yuzhmash, a Ukrainian defense enterprise located in the city of Dnipro (formerly Dnepropetrovsk).
The Russian leader emphasized that the provocative policies pursued by Western countries could lead to severe consequences for them if escalation continues.
A Message To The West
Commenting on the strike on Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was designed as a message to the West.
“The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side.
“The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns are not taken into account have been quite clearly outlined.”
Dmitry Peskov
Additionally, Peskov told reporters that Russia’s Oreshnik hypersonic missile is not an intercontinental one so Moscow is not obliged to notify Washington every time it is fired.
“This is not an intercontinental missile, but an intermediate-range one. Thus, Russia is not obligated to issue notifications about its launch.
However, there is the National Center for Nuclear Threat Reduction that operates automatically and maintains constant contact with a similar system in the US. Through this system, an automated warning was sent 30 minutes before the launch.”
Dmitry Peskov
Peskov said that Russia had not been obliged to warn the United States about the strike but had informed the US 30 minutes before the launch anyway.
He added that President Vladimir Putin remained open to dialogue but the outgoing administration of US President Joe Biden “prefers to continue down the path of escalation.”
Weighing in on Putin’s missile launch statements, Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics, argued that Putin’s statements showed how futile Western hopes that Russia would waver had been, and that the country is ready for any developments.
Bulgarian Expert, Boyan Chukov stated that Putin showed a “red card” to those seeking to escalate the conflict.
According to the Royal United Services Institute’s Military Sciences Director, Matthew Saville, Russia firing its latest Oreshnik intermediate-range missile sent a signal to the West that Moscow is ready to enter an intermediate-range missile race.
Moreover, Oleg Karpovich, Vice-Rector for scientific work of the Diplomatic Academy at the Russian Foreign Ministry, said that Putin made it clear to Western countries that their actions can lead to a global nuclear conflict.
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