Giving Ukraine permission to launch strikes with Western weapons deep into Russian territory will not change the strategic balance of power, while Russia may go for a ‘serious response’, in which not only the United States but also other Western allies of Kiev will suffer. This was reported by The New York Times with reference to US intelligence.
‘Russia is likely to launch a more powerful retaliatory strike against the United States and its coalition partners, possibly using lethal weapons, if they agree to grant Ukraine permission to use American, British and French long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory,’ the report said.
According to the newspaper, the US intelligence assessment also downplayed the impact that long-range missiles would have on the course of the Ukrainian conflict. Moreover, Ukraine currently has a limited number of such weapons, ‘and it is unclear how much more Western allies can provide, if at all.’
The publication emphasises the ‘potential risks and uncertain benefits’ of such a high-stakes decision now being made by US President Joe Biden.
‘The intelligence assessment outlines a range of possible Russian responses to the decision to authorise long-range strikes using US and European-supplied missiles. From intensifying acts of arson and sabotage targeting facilities in Europe to potentially deadly attacks on US and European military bases,’ The New York Times stated.
Earlier, the chairman of the Russian State Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said that the European Parliament’s call on Ukraine to lift the EU restrictions on Western weapons strikes deep inside the Russian territory could lead to the launch of the Russian strategic missile system Sarmat.
