MOSCOW, November 18. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not talk about strikes inside Russia with long-range missiles during their phone call on Friday, Putin’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told TASS.
"No," he said when asked whether they broached the topic.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 15. This was their first phone call since early December 2022. According to the Kremlin press service, the leaders discussed Ukraine, the Middle East conflict and bilateral relations between Moscow and Berlin. Putin and Scholz agreed that their aides will continue communication.
The New York Times reported on November 17 that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia. Later, France’s Le Figaro reported that France and the United Kingdom had followed suit and allowed Ukraine to use their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles for these purposes. However, the newspaper later removed this story from its website, giving no explanations. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that Paris had not altered its position on strikes inside Russia. The German government said that the United States had notified Berlin about Biden’s decision.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on September 12 that the potential decision to use Western long-range missiles against Russia would mean the United States’ and other NATO countries’ direct involvement in the conflict in Ukraine. This step would change the very nature of the conflict and Russia would have to make relevant decisions proceeding from the threats it will face, the president warned. He noted, meanwhile, that Ukraine is unable to strike inside Russia without the West’s assistance because this would require intelligence data from satellites and flight assignments.