Russian nuclear drills response to 'shameless' West: Antonov
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US Ambassador Anatoly Antonov points out that the US and its Western allies will be unable to "play a game of unilateral escalation."
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Anatoly Antonov departs after a meeting at the US State Department in March 2023. (AP)
Moscow's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, stated Tuesday that Russia's choice to perform tactical nuclear drills is a required response to the Collective West's "shameless and aggressive" tactics, which threaten Russia and its population.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov recently confirmed Russia's decision to conduct tactical nuclear weapons drills after remarks by certain NATO countries regarding the potential deployment of their troops to Ukraine.
The exercise will be conducted “in the near future” and was ordered by President Vladimir Putin, according to the Defense Ministry on Monday, further citing “provocative statements and threats against Russia by certain Western officials,” such as the potential storing of US nuclear weapons in Poland and recent French remarks of deploying troops and NATO forces to Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry announced Monday that the drills will take place “in the context of recent belligerent statements by Western officials and sharply destabilizing actions taken by a number of NATO countries," adding that the aim of the US to hit Russia with "strategic defeat" is leading to an open military clash between NATO and Russia.
According to Antonov, the US and its allies are continuously supplying Ukraine with increasingly lethal weaponry aimed to "kill Russian people" and attack the country's territory.
“Step by step they are abandoning their previously declared ‘self-restraints’ in the hybrid war unleashed against us,” he said. “Roughly speaking, they are trying to ‘simmer’ our country.”
This comes after a “new” and “unprecedented” escalation of the situation, Peskov added.
Responding to comments made by White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby who accused Moscow of “reckless and irresponsible” nuclear “saber-rattling,” Antonov retorted that Russia was not threatening anyone but rather that the "unhinged strategists" in Washington and the EU should recognize that as the situation surrounding the Ukraine war escalates, "Russia will use all means to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity," the ambassador stated.
"The West will not be able to play a game of unilateral escalation," Antonov warned.
Western troops may join battlefield if 'Ukraine requests': MP
Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for adding to the table the possibility of deploying Western troops to Ukraine during an interview for French broadcaster LCI.
Macron suggested the possibility earlier “if the Russians were to break through the front lines [and, second,] if there were a Ukrainian request.”
Goncharenko viewed Macron’s comments as a “very good signal” to Russia, noting that foreign troops deployed in Ukraine could be assigned to train Ukrainian troops, alongside other tasks, without engaging with Russian forces directly.
The representative, when asked if Ukraine would call in Western reinforcements if Russia approaches Kiev or Kharkov, said, "Yes, I think it is possible… If the frontline situation shows us that Ukraine cannot stop [Russian President Vladimir] Putin alone without European military support and troops, this is absolutely possible."
Just three days ago, at a lecture at the University of Oxford, EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell said that the conflict in Ukraine could end as quickly as "a couple of weeks" without Western military aid to Kiev.
"The Ukrainian existence depends on us, I know how to finish the war in Ukraine. I can finish the war in Ukraine in a couple of weeks just by cutting the supply. If I cut the supply of arms to Ukraine, Ukraine cannot resist, they will have to surrender, and the war will finish," Borrell said.
The top diplomat also mentioned that EU countries were not united in their policy towards Russia, noting that some still consider it an ally, and mentioned that delayed US aid to Kiev could make the entire difference "between victory and defeat." This contradicts Macron's earlier statement.
