(Dan Tri) - Chinese officials commented after US media reported that Washington appeared to have allowed Ukraine to use aid missiles to attack deep into Russia.
ATACMS missile fired (Illustration: US Army).
China opposes any move that could lead to a further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and increase tensions, said Chinese Embassy in the United States spokesman Liu Pengyu.
Responding to a Tass correspondent's question about US media reports that President Joe Biden appeared to have authorized Ukraine to use US-aided long-range weapons to strike deep inside Russia, Liu said: "China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. China is committed to promoting peaceful negotiations and opposes any move that could escalate tensions and worsen the regional situation."
The diplomat stressed that Beijing supports a peaceful and diplomatic solution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. "Instead of adding fuel to the fire and escalating hostilities, relevant parties should strive to create conditions for resolving the Ukraine crisis through dialogue and negotiations, and make practical efforts to maintain peace," he added.
Previously, on November 17, the New York Times quoted a well-informed source saying that US President Joe Biden appeared to have authorized the use of the US-aided long-range ATACMS missile to attack inside Russia.
Later, the French newspaper Le Figaro reported that France and Britain had made a similar move to the US and also allowed Ukraine to use aid weapons to attack inside Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 12 that allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to attack Russia would mean the United States and other NATO countries becoming directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
This move will change the nature of the conflict and Russia will have to make relevant decisions based on the threats it will face, Putin warned.
Commenting on the New York Times article, US Senator Mike Lee said that if this is true, then Mr. Biden has set the stage for the start of World War III.
"Joe Biden is setting the stage for World War III. Let's pray that it doesn't happen," Lee said.
Meanwhile, Axios news site cited a source saying that the US informed Ukraine of Mr. Biden’s decision three days ago. The source added that the US appeared to be allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons in Russia’s Kursk region, where Kiev has been attacking for more than three months.
The White House has not commented on this information.
The US began supplying ATACMS ballistic missiles to Ukraine in 2023. Weighing more than 1.6 tons, 4 meters long and 610 mm in diameter, ATACMS can fly at speeds of up to 1 km/s at a ceiling of about 50 km. Using a GPS navigation system, this missile has very small errors even though it can attack targets up to 300 km away.
The US sent ATACMS with a range of 150km last fall. However, the version sent this year can fly up to 300km, putting higher-value Russian targets in Ukraine’s crosshairs.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/quan-chuc-trung-quoc-noi-ve-tin-my-coi-troi-ten-lua-tam-xa-cho-ukraine-20241118135154210.htm
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