WASHINGTON, November 19. /TASS/. US President Joe Biden’s authorization of long-range missile attacks by the US inside Russian territory violates the constitution and increases the risk of World War III, Republican Senator from Kentucky Rand Paul stated on his X social media platform.
"Biden's grand finale: pushing us toward WWIII before his exit. The risks of starting another world war far outweigh the temporary advantage of deep strikes. The Ukraine war must have a negotiated ending. This is an unconstitutional decision to support a seemingly random plan," Paul said, commenting on reports regarding Biden’s approval of deep strikes into Russia with US-made ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles.
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. Meanwhile, the France-based Le Figaro newspaper reported that France and the UK had granted similar authorization for the use of their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles. However, the daily later retracted this statement from its article on the website without explanation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot clarified that Paris had not altered its position on strikes deep into Russia, explaining that the possibility was still being reviewed. London has not yet issued any official comments. The German government confirmed that the United States had informed Berlin of its decision to authorize strikes deep inside Russian territory.
Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions on US-supplied missiles, allowing them to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia. He noted that the issue had been discussed at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting, but no collective decision was reached, leaving each member state to determine its own stance.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov reminded that Moscow's position on strikes by US missiles deep inside Russian territory had been clearly outlined by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Peskov emphasized that this decision marked a "qualitatively new phase" of tensions.