#Britain #France #provoke #Russias #anger #Putin #ready #nuclear #war
International
Tommy Patrio Sorongan, CNBC Indonesia
News
Tuesday, 07/05/2024 15:40 IWST
Photo: Russian presidential candidate and incumbent President Vladimir Putin speaks after polling stations close, in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2024. (REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Russia has ordered its military to hold nuclear weapons drills. This was taken when Moscow still had hot relations with European countries regarding Ukraine.
Collect The Guardianthe Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that troops from the Southern military district will carry out preparations and use of non-strategic nuclear weapons.
“The exercise is intended to unconditionally guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian state. The exercise will also involve troops from the Russian air force and navy,” said the ministry, Monday (6/4/2024).
The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Russia would develop new medium- and short-range missiles. Moscow claimed that the decision was prompted by reports that the US was moving similar missile systems to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
This maneuver was taken after comments by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, regarding Western troops fighting in Ukraine and from the British Foreign Minister. David Cameron, on the use of British-supplied weapons to enable Ukraine to fight Russia.
“Some time ago you and I witnessed an unprecedented stage of escalation of tensions initiated by the French president and the British foreign minister,” said Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman.
Peskov added that the drills were prompted by statements by Macron, as well as British and US officials, who had spoken about the potential to send troops to Ukraine.
“They have talked about readiness and even intention to send an armed contingent to Ukraine; that is, to put NATO troops in front of Russian troops.”
Macron, however, said he did not rule out the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine. On the other hand, Cameron said that it was up to Kyiv how it used British weapons, including against targets in Russia.
The British ambassador, Nigel Casey, and his French counterpart in Moscow were summoned by the Kremlin on Monday. This was to obtain a protest note against Cameron’s statement that Ukraine had the right to use British weapons to attack on Russian territory.
“Casey was warned that in response to a Ukrainian attack on Russian territory with British weapons, any British military facilities and equipment on Ukrainian territory and abroad could be targeted,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The Ambassador is asked to reflect on the inevitable disastrous consequences of London’s hostile steps. We also ask London to immediately refute the aggressively provocative statements of the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the most firm and unambiguous manner.”
A Ukrainian government official rejected the Kremlin’s statement as “nuclear blackmail”. They admitted that this was something Moscow usually said.
“We don’t see anything new here, except the impact of information and statements… Nuclear blackmail is a persistent practice of the Putin regime,” Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Ukrainian intelligence, told state TV.
Tensions between the West and Moscow occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an attack on Ukraine on February 24. This attack was based on the Kremlin’s view that Kyiv was not complying with the 2014 Minsk Agreement to grant special autonomous status to Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine. This prompted Moscow to recognize the two regions as separate countries.
Apart from that, Putin also said that this attack was aimed at forcing Kyiv not to join Russia’s military rival, NATO. On the other hand, Ukraine called this attack unprovoked.
Watch the video below:
Video: Accused by the US of triggering the Russia-Ukraine war, China is furious
(luc/luc)
