The Kremlin has accused U.S. President Joe Biden of adding fuel to the fire and seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine by lifting restrictions on long-range weapons.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s comments on November 18 come after reports that Biden has granted Ukraine permission to use U.S. weapons to strike deeper into Russia.
The development comes after months of lobbying by Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for Western states to give Kyiv the green light to use donated weapons to their full potential to hit targets currently out of range.
SEE ALSO: Could U.S. Long-Range Missiles Tip The Balance In The Ukraine War?The United States, along with other NATO states, has to this point imposed a limit on the distance U.S. missiles could strike into Russian territory.
Peskov said a move to alter that limit, which has not been officially confirmed by Washington, would usher in a new round of tension and deepen the United State’s involvement in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
"It's obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps in order to continue fueling the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in September warned the West that Russia could respond with nuclear weapons if it was struck with conventional missiles, and that Moscow would consider any assault supported by a nuclear power to be a joint attack.
Russian parliamentarian Leonid Slutsky said such a move would lead to escalation.
"U.S. missile strikes deep into Russian territory will inevitably lead to a major escalation that threatens to have far more serious consequences," said Slutsky, the chairman of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee, in an interview with the state-run news agency TASS.
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The weapons are likely to be used in response to North Korea's decision to send thousands of troops to support Russia in the Kursk region, where Ukraine mounted a military incursion over the summer. Reports have suggested that Ukraine would still be limited to striking that southwestern Russian region.
The move also opens the door for the United Kingdom and France to follow suit, potentially enabling Ukraine to deal Russia a blow at a critical moment in the war. Ukraine is seeking to hold onto territorial gains in Russia's Kursk region that could be crucial to any future negotiation.
However, Zelenskiy’s reaction to the news was somewhat reserved.
"Today, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions. But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves," said Zelenskiy in his nightly video address.
Meanwhile, Kyiv’s European allies have been upbeat in their reaction to the news.
Polish President Andrzej Duda said Biden's action could be a decisive moment in the war.
"This decision was very necessary.... Russia sees that Ukraine enjoys strong support and that the West's position is unyielding and determined. It's a very important, potentially decisive moment in this war," Duda told journalists.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Washington's move was important in terms of military support for Ukraine, but stressed it did not signal a shift in strategy by the West.
"The decision from the American side, and I would like to emphasize that this is not a rethink but an intensification of what has already been delivered by other partners, is so important at this moment," Baerbock said in Brussels ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Germany's top diplomat also issued a warning to supporters of Russian President Putin, and said the European Union was preparing new sanctions against Iran as well as looking at the issue of Chinese drone support.
Also speaking in Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed hope that the bloc’s members would follow Washington's lead.
"I've been saying once and again that Ukraine should be able to use the arms we provided to them, in order to not only stop the arrows but also to be able to hit the archers," Borrell said.
Also speaking ahead of the meeting, Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp said he thought Biden's decision was an "adequate response" to Russia deploying North Korean troops.