President Joe Biden's decision to enable Ukraine to employ American long-range missiles in Russia demonstrates that his administration intends to "throw oil on the fire" of the crisis, a Kremlin spokesperson told reporters. "It is obvious the outgoing administration in the United States wants to throw oil on the fire and escalate the conflict in Ukraine," Dmitry Peskov said. Following reports that the US is allowing Ukraine to extend the targeting of Washington-supplied missiles into Russia, a Russian politician claimed that "nothing left" of the U.S. will remain. "There will essentially be nothing left of America, which is trying to drag us into escalation. There will be no Biden or Trump. America is being inflicted with 95 percent total damage," said Andrei Gurulev, a State Duma deputy, speaking on Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, via state-owned station Russia-1.
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08:01 AM EST
China responds as U.S. lets Ukraine strike Russian territory with ATACMS
China has accused the United States of "pouring fuel on fire and escalating the war" following President Joe Biden authorizing Ukraine to strike Russian territory with U.S. missiles.
The Associated Press reported on Sunday, citing a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter, that Ukraine was now allowed to use the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), which has a range of up to 190 miles, on Russian military forces across the border.
The decision came after North Korea, which has already deployed troops to join Moscow's so-called special military operation in Ukraine, was spotted shipping artillery pieces to Russia last week that are capable of firing shell rounds at targets 25 to 37 miles away.
In an emailed response to Newsweek on Sunday, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., said China "is committed to promoting peace talks and opposes any move that could escalate tensions and escalate the regional situation."
He added: "Instead of pouring fuel on fire and escalating the war, relevant parties should strive to create conditions for a political settlement of the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiation and make practical efforts to maintain peace."
Read the full story by Ryan Chan on Newsweek.
07:59 AM EST
ATACMS missiles: What they are
On Sunday, three individuals familiar with the decision informed Reuters and numerous news agencies that President Joe Biden will allow Ukraine to conduct strikes against Russian territory using weaponry given by the U.S, including Ukraine using ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System) rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles
Lockheed Martin's ATACMS are short-range ballistic missiles capable of striking targets up to 190 miles distant with a payload weighing around 375 pounds of explosives. Ballistic missiles travel higher and further into the sky than artillery rockets, returning to Earth at incredible speeds due to gravity's pull.
Specifics of the ATACMS missiles, as listed by Lockheed Martin, are:
- Improved guidance package with Global Positioning System
- Carries a WDU18, 500-lb class blast fragmentation warhead
- Maximum range is 300 km
07:51 AM EST
United States 'will disappear,' Russian lawmaker threatens on live TV
A Russian lawmaker threatened there would be "nothing left" of the US following reports that the U.S. is allowing Ukraine to extend the targeting of missiles supplied by Washington into Russia.
"There will essentially be nothing left of America, which is trying to drag us into escalation. There will be no Biden or Trump. America is being inflicted with 95 percent total damage," said Andrei Gurulev, a State Duma deputy, speaking on Sunday Evening with Vladimir Solovyov, broadcast by state-owned station Russia-1.
"Today, we are quite ready to destroy the entire nuclear potential of England and France with a single strike. This will be one of the options for deterring the United States from striking Russia," the former tank commander added.
The comments, on the show which is regarded as propaganda by Ukrainians and many in the West, came after A New York Times report was shared on Russian TV about how Ukraine has been given permission by the Biden administration to fire American-made ATACMS rockets deep into Russian territory.
Read the full story by Sophie Clark on Newsweek.
07:47 AM EST
Biden allows Ukraine to use US-supplied missiles for strikes inside Russia
President Joe Biden will authorize Ukraine to use U.S.-provided weapons to launch strikes against Russian territory, three sources familiar with the decision told Reuters and multiple news outlets on Sunday.
Ukraine has for months urged the U.S. to authorize long-range strikes into Russian territory, but the White House has resisted doing so over fears of escalation. However, Moscow's decision to deploy North Korean soldiers to the Ukrainian front has changed the administration's thinking.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told RBC TV that Russian President Vladimir Putin "has already spoken on this matter."
Russian media reported comments Putin made on September 12, in which he said: "It is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not" and that Moscow would make "appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us."
Read the full story by Peter Aitken on Newsweek.
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