Biden 'fueling' tensions by allowing missile strikes: Kremlin
MOSCOW
The Kremlin said Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden's outgoing administration will further inflame tensions by allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen media reports that Biden cleared strikes, adding: "It's obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps in order to continue fuelling the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions".
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to AFP reports from The New York Times and The Washington Post that the major policy shift -- long demanded by Ukraine -- was in response to North Korea deploying troops to help Moscow's war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has long pushed for authorisation from Washington to use the powerful Army Tactical Missile System, known by its initials ATACMS, to hit targets inside Russia.
"If such a decision was really formulated and announced to the Kiev regime, then of course it's a qualitatively new spiral of tensions and a qualitatively new situation from the point of view of the U.S.'s engagement in the conflict," Peskov told journalists.
He said President Vladimir Putin had expressed Russia's position clearly in September when the leader said that such a move would put NATO "at war" with Russia.
In such a case, "we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face," Putin said in September.
Peskov said Monday that Putin's position is that such strikes would ultimately be carried out not by Ukraine but by the countries that give permission for such use of missiles.
The Kremlin spokesman said this was because "the targets are set not by Ukrainian military but by specialists from these Western countries. That fundamentally changes the modality of their engagement."
"That's the danger and provocative nature of this situation," he added.
France remains open for allowance
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also said on Monday that Paris remained open to allowing Ukraine to use French long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.
Barrot recalled that French President Emmanuel Macron had already said in May that Paris was open to consider greenlighting the use of its missiles to strike on Russian soil.
"We openly said that this was an option that we would consider if it was to allow to strike targets from where Russians are currently aggressing Ukrainian territory," Barrot told reporters in Brussels.
"Nothing new under the sun," he added ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in the Belgian capital.
Zelensky has long pushed for authorisation from Washington to use the powerful Army Tactical Missile System, known by its initials ATACMS, to hit targets inside Russia.
The head of Russian parliament's defense committee in the lower house Duma, Andrei Kartapolov, was quoted by the state Ria Novosti agency as saying that "absolutely nothing will change the course of the operation" in Ukraine.
Ukraine's staunch supporter Poland was among the first to welcome the development.
"With the entry into the war of North Korea troops and (Sunday's) massive attack of Russian missiles, President Biden responded in a language that (Russian President) V.Putin understands," Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski posted on X.
"The victim of aggression has the right to defend himself," he added.
China, which has presented itself as a neutral party to the Ukraine war, urged a peaceful settlement.
"An early ceasefire and a political solution serve the interests of all parties," foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a regular briefing, when asked about the U.S. decision.
"The most urgent thing is to promote the cooling down of the situation as soon as possible," he said.
Zelensky's response, in his evening address Sunday, was more muted.
"Today, there are many media reports that we have received permission to take appropriate actions," he said.
"But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves. Definitely."
Power cuts
News of Biden's decision came hours after Ukraine announced nationwide emergency power restrictions from Monday after Russia laucnhed a massive attack that killed 11 civilians and further damaged the country's already fragile energy grid as winter approaches.
Another 10 people were killed, including two children, in another strike Sunday evening in the northeast town of Sumy.
Russia's latest barrage brought swift international condemnation.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced the attack, which his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement had targeted "energy and critical civilian infrastructure".
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen described the attack on the power grid as "horrible" in comments to Brazil's Globo News.
Winter fears
Zelensky said Moscow launched 120 missiles and almost 100 drones, targeting Kiev as well as southern, central and far-western corners of the country.
The attack, which officials said was one of Russia's largest, came as Moscow's assault neared its 1,000th day, which will be marked at the United Nations on Monday, attended by Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga.
Biden's announcement -- and the latest devastation -- came at a time when Moscow has been steadily advancing in Ukraine's east. The imminent return of Donald Trump to the White House has raised fears over the future of U.S. support for Kiev.
Many fear a third winter of war will be the toughest yet. Previous Russian attacks have already destroyed half of Ukraine's energy production capacity, Zelensky has warned.
Civilian deaths across Ukraine
Moscow said it had hit all its targets, saying it had aimed at "essential energy infrastructure supporting the Ukrainian military-industrial complex".
But civilian deaths were reported across the country from the strikes overnight Saturday to Sunday.
The West and Ukraine say thousands of North Korea soldiers are in Russia, with some in the Kursk region, to reinforce Moscow's forces.