The Kremlin Assumes the US Will Authorize Ukraine to Advance into Russian Territory

Following the visit to Kiev this Wednesday by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Office Chief David Lammy, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has asserted that "the US authorities have already decided to lift restrictions on the use of ATACMS missiles to attack Russian territory. Most likely, this decision has already been made." According to his statements, such a measure "can be assumed with a high degree of certainty, as a media campaign is currently underway to formalize a decision that already seems to have been taken."

In this regard, the head of the Russian Presidential Press Department warned this Thursday that "there will be an appropriate response if the United States allows Ukraine to attack Russian territory with long-range weapons." In fact, he added, "the Special Military Operation – in Ukraine – is already one of the responses to all these Western actions and confirms once again that it is justified." "The participation of the United States and European countries in the conflict is direct," Peskov affirmed.

Meanwhile, the President of the Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament), Vyacheslav Volodin, has threatened to use "destructive weapons" if Ukraine attacks his country with Western missiles. "By requesting from the United States, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom the supply of long-range weapons, missiles, and other equipment, discussing with them the issue of attacking Russian territory, Zelensky turns these countries into direct participants in the conflict. All this will lead to Russia being forced to respond with more powerful and destructive weapons," he wrote on his Telegram channel.

For Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, "the statements by the United States about possibly lifting restrictions on Kiev for attacks in deep areas of the Russian Federation are an attempt to psychologically influence Moscow." In his opinion, adopting such measures "will not change Russia's course regarding the operation in Ukraine but will add risks for the United States and its allies." Russian political scientist close to the Kremlin Sergey Karaganov has directly called for using nuclear weapons against NATO countries aiding Ukraine, as he mentioned in an interview with the Russian newspaper 'Kommersant.'

US President Joe Biden has stated that Washington might allow Ukraine to fire long-range American missiles at targets far behind Russian front lines. Biden said on Tuesday that "we are working on it right now." This Wednesday in Kiev, Blinken and Lammy promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that their respective countries would swiftly address the issue of Kiev troops using Western long-range rockets in their military actions against Russia and that there would soon be a response.

"We are working urgently to continue ensuring that Ukraine has what it needs to defend itself effectively," Blinken said in Kiev during a press conference and clarified that the matter would be discussed this Friday during Biden's meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. The US Secretary of State assured that "we have adjusted and adapted to evolving needs, to changes on the battlefield, and I have no doubt we will continue doing so as the situation evolves." "Our support will not weaken; our unity will not break," Blinken insisted. In his meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, newly appointed Andrii Sibiga, he declared that his trip to Kiev with Lammy "is our commitment in favor of Ukraine's victory."

Zelensky stated precisely that "the victory plan (...) depends mainly on US support and other allied countries." Last August 27th, the Ukrainian president announced having a "victory plan" which he will present to Biden and November election candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. The plan contains four areas, one of which is "the operation in the Kursk region," initiated by the Ukrainian Army last August 6th.

"One of these strategy areas concerns the Kursk region," affirmed the Ukrainian president. According to him, "the second direction is Ukraine's strategic place in global security infrastructure. The third is a powerful package of measures to diplomatically force Russia to end the war. The fourth is economic; I won't go into detail now." The second seems to refer to Ukraine's need for NATO admission, while the third suggests that long-range weapons are seen by Zelensky as a means to force Russia into stopping the war and sitting down for negotiations.

The British newspaper 'The Guardian,' ideologically close to Starmer's government, reports, citing anonymous government sources, that the decision to allow Ukraine to launch attacks with Western weapons against targets within recognized Russian territory has already been made but there are no plans for a public announcement.

According to 'The Guardian,' these sources discussed British-French produced Storm Shadow cruise missiles which also contain American components. The meeting between Biden and Starmer on Friday will primarily address this aspect and the war in Ukraine in general. However, 'The Guardian' believes there are no plans to announce the decision allowing Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles against targets inside Russia. No press conference is scheduled there either, writes the newspaper.