U.S. backing of Ukraine's ATACMS strikes escalates tensions, says Kremlin

RIA-Novosti and Interfax reported the information.

According to Peskov, such a decision by the U.S. administration would mark "a new escalation" and "signify a new level of Washington's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine."

"If such a decision has indeed been formulated and communicated to the Kyiv regime, this represents a qualitatively new level of tension and a fundamentally new situation in terms of U.S. involvement in this conflict," said the Kremlin spokesperson.

• In September, Putin said that allowing Western long-range weapons to strike Russian territory would "change the nature of the conflict" and mean direct involvement of NATO countries in the war in Ukraine.
• On November 17, U.S. President Joe Biden had authorized Ukraine to strike at Russian territory with U.S. long-range missiles.
• On November 18, it was reported that Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to fire long-range ATACMS missiles deep into Russian territory only applies to the Kursk region.