White House concerned about Kyiv's strikes on Russian nuclear missile warning stations
Biden's team considers this a threat to strategic stability between the US and Russia
Washington, according to The Washington Post, is concerned about Kyiv's strikes on Russian radar stations that are part of the nuclear missile warning system.
In particular, these are the drone attacks on 23 and 26 May on radar stations near Armavir in the Krasnodar Territory and in Orsk, Orenburg Region.
The responsibility for these attacks lies with the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, WP writes.
The White House fears that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attacks on Russian ballistic missile early warning facilities could have a destabilising effect, as these facilities are not involved in the war against Ukraine and an attack on them could “damage the strategic stability between Washington and Moscow,” the sources explained.
‘It should be obvious to everyone that the US has no intention of using nuclear weapons against Russia. But there are certainly concerns about how Russia might perceive that its deterrent capabilities are being targeted and its early warning systems are under attack,’ the US official told WP.
In turn, an unnamed Ukrainian government source said that Russia used these radars to monitor the launches of missiles and drones by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in southern Ukraine.
In May, the Russian army launched a new offensive in the Kharkiv region. Against this backdrop, the Ukrainian authorities asked the US to allow the Ukrainian armed forces to strike military targets in Russia with Western weapons to stop the advance of Russian troops.
Officially, the US opposes such strikes, but according to The New York Times, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is lobbying the administration on this issue, and President Joe Biden is close to lifting the ban.
AFP and Bild reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had in fact already used Western weapons against aircraft and other targets in Russia. Yuriy Sak, an adviser to Ukraine's Minister for Strategic Industries, said in an interview with Bloomberg the day before that Ukraine had used long-range missiles provided by the United Kingdom to strike Russia.
Background. Today, it became known that the United States allows Ukraine to use the air defence systems it has received, including the Patriot missile system, to destroy missiles and fighter jets over Russian territory if they pose a threat to Ukraine.
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