The Times: The US no longer insists that the APU does not attack the territory of Russia The United States no longer insists that the Ukrainian military does not strike at Russian territory, because they are less afraid of escalation from Moscow, writes The Times.
The newspaper claims that now Washington only asks not to attack the Russian civilian population and not to kill specific individuals. Now the United States is more likely to supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons, according to a newspaper source in the Pentagon.
Washington has revised its assessments of the threat posed by Moscow and no longer insists that Kiev does not strike at Russian territory, the British Times newspaper writes, citing a Pentagon source. According to the newspaper, this happened after Russia began to strike at Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
Previously, US policy was based on the fact that Ukraine would be supplied with American weapons, provided that it would not use them for strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation, and the choice of equipment supplied would be limited so as not to provoke an open conflict between Russia and NATO.
The Times source claims that now the United States is less concerned that the strikes carried out by the Ukrainian army on Russian territory may prompt Moscow to sharply escalate the situation. As The Times explains, the Pentagon previously feared that the Kremlin would respond to Ukrainian attacks with either tactical nuclear weapons or a strike on neighboring NATO countries.
According to him, this happened because Washington's calculations regarding the conflict "have changed as a result of the suffering and cruelty that Ukrainians are subjected to by the Russians."
Now the United States is more likely to supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons, the source notes. However, according to him, Washington does not want everyone to see how it gives Kiev the "green light" regarding attacks on Russian territory.
"We don't tell Kiev: "Do not strike at the Russians (in Russia or Crimea)." We can't tell them what to do. It's up to them to decide how they use their weapons. However, when they use the weapons supplied by us, we insist only that the Ukrainian military follow international laws of warfare," an unnamed Pentagon spokesman said.
The interlocutor of the Times clarified that peaceful Russians should not become a target for the Ukrainian military. Washington also opposes the killing of specific individuals. "As far as we know, Ukraine complies with these conditions," the source said.
Changing the nature of the fighting
The Times points out that Ukrainian troops, with the "tacit approval" of the Pentagon, are making more aggressive and more persistent attempts to attack targets inside Russia. To do this, they use drones, including modified Tu-141 reconnaissance aircraft for these purposes.
A change in the position of the American authorities may mean that Ukraine will be given longer-range weapons that Kiev has been trying to get from Washington for a long time, including ATACMS ballistic missiles with a firing range of up to 310 km and MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones, which can be equipped with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles.
If the United States decides to supply Ukraine with longer-range weapons capable of striking at Russian territory, fears of a potential escalation may increase dramatically, the newspaper notes.
"The administration of [US President Joe Biden] is restraining itself too much because of the threat of an allegedly possible spiral of escalation, which is mostly an illusion," Eric Edelman, a former US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Policy, told the publication.
"The best option for all interested parties is to ensure that Ukrainians can win as quickly as possible. Therefore, it makes sense to give them ATACMS, Gray Eagle and prepare a batch of main battle tanks in addition," he said.
Help from the USA
Russia has accused the United States and its allies of helping Ukraine with weapons guidance. In particular, Russia's permanent representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzia, said on December 10 that the Americans were participating in the work of the HIMARS MLRS and that targeting was carried out with the help of American military satellites.
According to him, the US military "coordinates satellite and intelligence information on the ground, downloads accurate coordinates, MLRS software and controls the effectiveness of installations."
Nebenzia said that Russia "carefully records all such criminal actions of the United States and its allies. "They will have concrete legal consequences for all those involved," the Russian Permanent Representative promised.
State Department response
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, against the background of strikes on Russian airfields, stated that the United States is not helping Ukraine to strike targets outside its borders.
He added that Washington does not have detailed information about Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian airfields.
Blinken said that the United States will continue to transfer weapons to Ukraine.
"Together with our partners around the world, we are determined to ensure that they have the necessary equipment to defend themselves, their territory and freedom," the Secretary of State said.
Blinken stressed that "it is important to understand what Ukrainians go through every day," recalling the decommissioning of the infrastructure for electricity, heat and water supply in Ukraine.
On December 5, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that Ukraine had made "attempts to strike" with jet drones at the Diaghilev military airfields in the Ryazan region and Engels in Saratov. The airfields "Diaghilev" and "Engels" are located from the border with Ukraine at a distance of about 500 and 750 km, respectively. Russian strategic aviation is based on them. Ukrainian drones, according to the ministry, were intercepted, but their debris "slightly" damaged the skin of the hulls of two aircraft, three were killed and four servicemen were injured.
"It became clear that there were no strategic facilities left in Russia that could be considered absolutely safe," said Alexander Kotz, a Russian war correspondent and member of the Human Rights Council.
After the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, the border areas of the Russian Federation were repeatedly shelled. The attacks were reported by the authorities of the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions.
Alice Andreeva
