U.S. ‘Adding Fuel to the Fire’ by Sending Rockets to Ukraine, Says Putin Spokesman
NOT HAPPY
The Kremlin reacted with fury Wednesday to news the U.S. is sending precision missiles to Ukraine that will more than double the range of its artillery in the battle for Donbas. President Joe Biden confirmed the decision in a New York Times opinion piece in which he revealed a new round of military aid for Ukraine so “it can fight on the battlefield and be in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.” The HIMARS rocket systems will allow Ukrainian gunners to hit Russian targets at a distance of 50 miles, although the administration has decided against sending even longer-range systems that could hit targets deep inside Russia. “We believe that the United States is purposefully and diligently adding fuel to the fire,” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s presidential spokesman, told reporters at the Kremlin. Reuters reported that Peskov was asked how Moscow would respond if U.S.-supplied rockets were used against targets in Russia itself. “Let’s not talk about worst-case scenarios,” he replied.