Russian Satellite News Agency, Washington, November 20. Sabrina Singer, deputy spokeswoman of the US Pentagon, said that the United States may allow Ukraine to use the US ATACMS long-range missiles to carry out long-range strikes against Russia in accordance with the current US government’s obligation to support Kiev.
She told reporters at a press conference: “If we have anything to share publicly, we will do so, but at this time I have nothing to share (about allowing Ukrainian forces to use ATACMS to conduct long-range strikes against Russia)… We do not consider this to be an escalation. This is an obligation we have assumed since the establishment of this administration.”
Singh added that she “understood” the frustration of media representatives over the U.S. government’s refusal to give official confirmation that it had allowed the Ukrainian strike.
Furthermore, she believes that World War III has not broken out, it is just an effort by the United States and its allies to support Ukraine.
Earlier, the New York Times quoted anonymous US government officials as saying that US President Biden authorized Ukraine to use long-range missiles provided by the United States to attack the Russian mainland for the first time. Sources said that the first attack on the Russian hinterland is likely to use ATACMS missiles. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrell said that the depth of Russia authorized by the United States to attack is within 300 kilometers.
According to the Ukrainian media RBC-Ukraine news agency and Censor.NET news website on November 19, the Ukrainian army launched its first ATACMS missile attack on Russian territory within the internationally recognized borders. However, later in the day, Ukraine’s “Channel 24” TV channel reported that the Ukrainian Army General Staff did not confirm the news.
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Ukrainian army launched an attack on Bryansk Oblast with six ATACMS ballistic missiles in the early morning of November 19. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the S-400 air defense missile system and the “Armor” short-range air defense missile and artillery system combat support team shot down five missiles through anti-missile combat, and one was damaged. Missile fragments fell on the technical area of military facilities in Bryansk Oblast, causing a fire, which was extinguished in time. No one was killed and no damage occurred.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Peskov previously stated that allowing attacks on Russian territory, if decided and authorized by the Kiev regime, would mean a new round of tensions. Peskov pointed out that the Russian president clearly stated Moscow’s position on allowing the use of long-range weapons to attack Russian territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that NATO members are not only discussing the possibility of authorizing Kiev to use Western long-range weapons, but in fact, they are deciding whether to directly intervene in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin pointed out that the direct involvement of Western countries in the Ukrainian conflict will change the nature of the conflict, and Russia will be forced to make decisions based on the threats posed by it.
