White House, Photo: Rob Mcleod / robertharding / Profimedia
“Russia is the one provoking escalation” in Ukraine, said the White House spokesperson on Thursday, as Moscow accuses Washington of exacerbating the conflict by allowing the Ukrainian army to strike inside Russian territory, AFP reports.
“The major escalation is that Russia is moving towards another country,” added Karine Jean-Pierre, referring to North Korean troops joining the Russians in fighting against Ukraine.
“No reason” for the US to change its nuclear doctrine
The United States has “no reason” to alter its nuclear doctrine after Russia announced that it had done so, the White House spokesperson told the press, according to AFP.
Putin announced the new type of missile used to attack Ukraine on Thursday
Vladimir Putin announced on Thursday evening that Russia had launched an experimental medium-range ballistic missile at a military site in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro and that Moscow “has the right” to attack Western countries that supply Kiev with long-range weapons.
He stated that Russia’s action was in response to the United States and the United Kingdom allowing Ukraine to fire long-range missiles, made in America and Britain, at Russian territory.
A new escalation in Russia’s war
Kiev had denounced on Thursday morning that the missile launched by Russia in the Thursday morning attack on the city of Dnipro, where it hit critical infrastructure, including the rocket and space technology construction plant Yuzhmash, had all the “characteristics” of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
The attack comes amid a new escalation in Russia’s war against Ukraine, after the US allowed Kiev to use long-range ATACMS missiles, which it provided, against targets deep inside Russian territory last weekend, and Moscow threatened to react “appropriately.”
In this context, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved on Tuesday the revised version of Russia’s nuclear military doctrine, which allows for a response with nuclear weapons even when its territory is attacked with conventional weapons, including by a non-nuclear state supported by a nuclear power, in a direct reference to the US.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry issued a call on Thursday for the international community to rapidly react to Russia’s use of a “new type of armament,” although it did not specify whether it was ultimately confirmed that an intercontinental ballistic missile was used in the attack on the city of Dnipro.