MOSCOW, December 18. /TASS/. The United States has actually become an immediate participant in the conflict in Ukraine after strikes of long-range systems against the Russian territory, Chief of the Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov said.

"The next turn in escalation of the conflict in Ukraine was sanctioned by the US and their NATO allies use of their long-range weapon systems against the territory in the depth of the Russian Federation. The US essentially allowed itself to use these systems against the Russian territory," Gerasimov said at the briefing for foreign military attaches.

"The Ukrainian Armed Forces are unable to enter space intelligence data on their own and provide for preparation of flight tasks for missiles. The US after strikes against the Russian territory actually became the immediate participant in the conflict, meaning its escalation," he added.