Russian senator warns that helping Ukraine with missile systems could provoke war with the U.S.
After the U.S. promised to send long-range missile systems to Ukraine, a Russian senator warned Americans that the move is fraught with retaliation, the Daily Express tabloid reports.
Tom Watling
Russian Senator Franz Klintsevich said the four long-range HIMARS multiple rocket launchers the U.S. is sending to Ukraine could “threaten our people on our territory.” The politician refused to believe Kiev’s promises to Joe Biden that the weapons would not be used outside of Ukraine. In a TV program on Russian state television, Senator Klintsevich said that Ukraine and the United States would perceive Russia’s lack of response as “weakness,” calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin ” crushing U.S. bases.”
The show’s host said: “A Pentagon spokesman said that Ukraine assured the United States that [HIMARS] would only be used for defense, and that sort of satisfied them.”
Senator Klintsevich replied,
“This is just nonsense! And it’s impossible to talk to the Americans and Ukrainians under these conditions. Today I think that the continuation of this conversation is as follows: we speak from the position of our tolerance, we give signals when we say that this line cannot be crossed. But, unfortunately, they perceive our decency and tolerance as a weakness. As weakness. And today, where it comes in, including in Europe, given the high-precision long-range weapons of Russia, it is time to step in, to warn [about the inadmissibility of supplying such systems]. There was an event in Korea [during the Korean War]. We shot down 1,270 American planes. And the world didn’t collapse. It’s time to collapse the American bases, while on European territory, unfortunately. That’s my personal opinion. [We have to do it] if we are not heard, if it threatens our people on our territory.”
On Wednesday, the U.S. confirmed that a new weapons package has been approved for Ukraine, which will include four highly mobile M142 rocket artillery systems (HIMARS).
U.S. Undersecretary of Defense Colin H. Kahl said,
“These are high-precision systems of increased range. And so we believe that for particularly important targets, the elimination of which will partially relieve pressure on Ukrainian troops on the front lines, these systems will be very useful.
The units can hit targets up to 70 kilometers away and are believed to be more accurate than their Russian counterparts.
U.S. President Joe Biden, who reluctantly agreed to send MLRSs to Ukraine, said,
“We will not deliver missile systems to Ukraine that will allow them to strike Russian territory.”