Putin backs Trump’s ire on US missile use by Ukraine

It is too early to predict what decisions Trump would take upon his inauguration as US President.

Moscow: Russia ‘approved’ US President-elect Donald Trump’s criticism of allowing Ukraine to use US-made long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

“The statement in itself is fully in harmony with our position. That is, our visions of reasons behind the escalation coincide. And, of course, we like that,” state agency TASS quoted Peskov as saying.

This comes after Donald Trump expressed his disapproval of the Biden administration’s allowing Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, calling the move “crazy.”
However, Peskov said it was too early to predict what decisions Trump could make upon his inauguration as the US President.

“Time will tell. Let’s wait for the moment when the President-Elect takes his seat in the Oval Office,” he said, as per Tass.

Earlier, the Biden administration announced that it would authorize Ukraine to use long-range weapons to hit inside Russia, after which several American and British missiles struck Russian military facilities in the Kursk and Bryansk regions.

In response, Moscow claimed to fire Russia’s newest Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile with a non-nuclear warhead at a Ukrainian defence industry facility, the Yuzhmash plant in Dnepr (formerly Dnepropetrovsk). Putin emphasized that the West’s provocative policies could have dire consequences in the event of any further escalation, Tass reported.

The move drew strong condemnation from the Kremlin which labelled it a significant “escalation” and evidence of the United States’ direct involvement in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

In response, Washington slammed Moscow for escalating the conflict by recruiting North Korean troops.

Meanwhile, amid the ongoing conflict, the US Department of Defense (DoD) on Thursday announced a new Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA) package worth USD 500 million, which includes, air defence capabilities; munitions for rocket systems and artillery; and anti-tank weapons, Pentagon said.

The relationship between the United States and Russia in late 2024 remains strained, characterized by mutual distrust and strategic competition. The ongoing war in Ukraine is central to these tensions, with the U.S. maintaining its support for Ukraine through military aid and sanctions against Russia.