The Kremlin warned Saturday that the deployment of long-range US missiles in Germany could make European capitals targets for Russian missiles, in a new confrontation reminiscent of the Cold War.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to the “paradox” that “Europe is within range of our missiles, and our country is within range of American missiles in Europe.”
“We have sufficient capacity to contain these missiles, but the potential victims are the capitals of these countries,” he added in a statement to the state-run Russia 1 television channel.
Peskov hinted that such a confrontation would undermine Europe as a whole.
In response to his interlocutor Pavel Zarubin’s suggestion that the Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union, Peskov said that “Europe is not in the best shape,” warning against “a repetition of history with a different composition.”
The White House announced on Wednesday during a NATO summit that the United States intends to deploy new missiles in Germany starting in 2026, which will have a longer range than the American systems currently in Europe.
The US presidency indicated, in a joint statement with the German government, that “these advanced capabilities will demonstrate the United States’ commitment to NATO and its contributions to integrated European deterrence.”
The Kremlin has criticised the move, accusing NATO of moving towards a new Cold War and becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov and his US counterpart Lloyd Austin held a phone call on Friday to discuss containing the “risk of a potential escalation,” according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
NATO countries, led by the United States, have been seeking to strengthen their defenses in Europe since the start of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022.
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