President Putin says Ukraine war is spreading globally

(CLO) President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the war in Ukraine was escalating into a global conflict after the United States and the United Kingdom allowed Ukraine to attack Russia with their long-range weapons, while warning the West that Russia could retaliate.

President Putin said the country responded to the use of the missile by firing a new type of hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian military facility. Mr Putin warned that more attacks were possible. He said civilians would be warned against further attacks using such weapons.

After approval from the administration of President Joe Biden, Ukraine attacked Russia with six US-made ATACMS missiles on November 19 and with UK-made Storm Shadow missiles and US-made HIMARS on November 21, according to Mr. Putin.

"Since then, as we have repeatedly stressed, a previously regional conflict in Ukraine provoked by the West has acquired elements of a global nature," Putin said in a state-of-the-nation address broadcast by state television after 8 p.m. Moscow time on Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: TASS

Mr Putin said the US was pushing the world towards a global conflict. "And in case of escalation of aggressive actions, we will also react decisively and proportionately," he said.

Mr Putin said the Ukrainian missile attack using ATACMS did not cause any serious damage. But the Storm Shadow attack in the Kursk region on November 21 targeted a command post and resulted in deaths and injuries.

The Russian president said Moscow had fired a new medium-range non-nuclear hypersonic ballistic missile called the "Oreshnik" at a missile and defense enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, home to the Pivdenmash rocket and space company, or Yuzhmash as Russians call it.

He said the attack on the company was successful. He added that Russia is developing short- and medium-range missiles in response to US plans to produce and deploy short- and medium-range missiles in Europe and the Far East.

"I believe that the United States made a mistake by unilaterally canceling the treaty on the elimination of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles in 2019 under an implausible pretext," Putin said, referring to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

China has issued a warning to the US after President Joe Biden authorised long-range strikes inside Russia using ATACMS missiles capable of hitting targets up to 300km away.

China's Global Times opined that: "China... reaffirmed its stance on the Ukraine crisis, calling for a cooling-down and political resolution after the US reportedly allowed Ukraine to use long-range Western weapons to attack Russia."

Meanwhile, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US, told Newsweek: "Implementing an early ceasefire and working towards a political solution serves the interests of all parties."

“It is important not to escalate tensions. China has always encouraged and supported all efforts that are conducive to the peaceful resolution of the crisis and is willing to continue to play a constructive role in its own way to resolve the Ukraine crisis through political means.”

China has positioned itself as a neutral party in the conflict, stressing its respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine. China has called for dialogue and peaceful resolution rather than military action, having put forward a 12-point peace plan for the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Hoang Anh (according to TASS, Global Times, Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/ong-putin-noi-chien-tranh-ukraine-dang-lan-rong-toan-cau-trung-quoc-keu-goi-ha-nhiet-post322352.html