US preparing to lift ban on strikes deep inside Russia - Moscow

RT
Fri, 23 Aug 2024 09:14 UTC

© South Korean Defense Ministry/Getty Images

US-made Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) fired during training

Claims by Washington that it has banned Ukraine from using US-supplied long-range weapons for strikes deep inside Russian territory cannot be trusted, Moscow's ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, has said.

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has resumed his calls for the country's Western backers to allow long-range strikes on Russian territory during Kiev's ongoing incursion into Kursk Region.

The Pentagon stated last week that its stance remains unchanged, and that Ukraine is still banned from using US-supplied ATACMS missiles, which have a range of up to 300km (186 miles), for attacks deep inside Russia.

Speaking to journalists on Friday, Antonov claimed:

"The US authorities seem to be constantly teasing us by saying that today it is allegedly not allowed to use long-range systems to strike at Russian territory. But in reality, they are essentially preparing the ground to simply remove all existing restrictions, at a certain point. Judging by Washington's previous assistance to Kiev, including its training of pilots to fly F-16 jets, it is almost certain that Ukraine will fight with US-made [long-range] weapons against us. Where exactly will it happen? We cannot say or foretell."

According to Antonov, the administration of US President Joe Biden is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

"There is no guarantee that the whole world will not change tomorrow when you and I wake up. How the Americans will behave in this situation is very hard to tell. Russia must therefore act decisively, increasing our military-industrial potential, because only our army and navy will protect our country."

Antonov also made a live appearance on Russia's Channel One on Thursday, where he rejected claims by the US authorities that they had been unaware of the Ukrainian plans to attack Kursk Region.

"I am firmly convinced that in Kiev they do nothing without the go-ahead from their masters... They wouldn't have dared to move a finger... in our direction without consent from Washington."

Commenting on the fate of Ukrainian troops who have entered Russian territory, the ambassador insisted that "no one has any doubts that they will be destroyed, not pushed back, but destroyed."

Russia's Defense Ministry estimated on Thursday that Ukraine has lost more than 4,700 troops and several hundred units of military equipment, including 68 tanks and 53 armored personnel carriers, since the start of the incursion in Kursk Region on August 6.

Comment: Latest upcoming weapons package for Ukraine is a doozy:

The US government is set to provide Ukraine with $125 million in additional weaponry and munitions. According to Associated Press, the new package could be formally announced later on Friday, on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day.

In its report on Thursday, AP claimed that the new package would include air defense missiles, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Javelins and several other types of anti-armor rocketry, 155mm and 105mm artillery shells, as well as counter-drone and counter-electronic warfare systems and other equipment.

The weapons will reportedly come directly from Pentagon stockpiles through the US president's drawdown authority, meaning they can be delivered more quickly.

AP has estimated that this latest package, if confirmed, would put the total value of US military assistance to Ukraine at more than $55.7 billion since February 2022. Washington has apparently approved this latest shipment despite still not being fully in the picture regarding Kiev's operation on Russian soil.

Speaking on Thursday, Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said

"We are still working with Ukraine on how that fits into their strategic objectives on the battlefield itself."

Earlier this month, the US Department of Defense said in a statement that it would send Kiev $125 million in military aid, made up of largely the same systems and equipment. In late July, Washington allocated a bigger batch of weaponry and ammunition, worth some $1.7 billion.

Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini responded:

Ukraine's Western backers could trigger World War III by providing Kiev with weapons that can be used to strike targets on Russian soil. Salvini said:

"The sending of weapons to strike and kill also on Russian territory would be a disaster, the antechamber of a dramatic world conflict. We will no longer approve sending any type of weapon unless we have the certainty that those weapons will not be used to attack and kill inside Russia. It would be the incident that takes us straight towards the Third World War."

Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani echoed this, telling reporters:

"We are not fighting against Russia. We are defending Ukraine, [it] is not the same."

Though hairs have been split, it is still 'hair'.