Russia: "If the US provides long-range missiles to Ukraine, it will be considered a party to the conflict"

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Russia has warned that if the United States provides long-range missiles to Ukraine, it will consider itself a party to the conflict and respond accordingly. This is interpreted as a more sensitive reaction to U.S. arms support following consecutive defeats of Russian forces on key Ukrainian fronts.

According to TASS on the 15th (local time), Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated at a press briefing, "If the United States decides to provide long-range missiles to Ukraine, it will cross the 'Red line' and become a direct party to the conflict," adding, "Providing long-range missiles to Ukraine is the same situation as the deployment of U.S. missiles banned under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) in European countries within Russia’s range."

She continued, "It is clear that in such a scenario, we have no choice but to respond appropriately," and strongly criticized, "Such irresponsible attempts will cause an extremely unstable situation, further escalate tensions, and trigger an arms race." This was a warning that if U.S. military support for Ukraine continues, separate military provocations targeting not only Ukraine but also the United States could occur.

According to CNN, the U.S. government has officially stated that it has provided missiles with a maximum range within 80 km to Ukraine so far, and has been reluctant to publicly comment on whether it has supplied missiles with longer ranges. It has also stated that it received a promise from Ukraine not to attack Russian territory with U.S.-made rockets.

However, as Russian forces have recently begun to retreat on major fronts such as Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine and Kherson in the south, suspicions have arisen that the U.S. has started supplying missiles and weapons with longer ranges than before. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on June 6, when the U.S. announced support for Ukraine’s High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), that "if Ukraine receives long-range missiles, it will strike targets it had not attacked before."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.