MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. The US is interested in prolonging the Ukrainian conflict, the outcome of which would lead to the end of Vladimir Zelensky's puppet regime; this is why they allowed Kiev to use American long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia, Iranian political scientist Professor Mehdi Seif Tabrizi told TASS.

"The end of the Ukrainian conflict will mark the end of Zelensky's reign and that of his team. Zelensky and his Western and American backers fear that [US President-elect Donald] Trump will fulfill his election promises to end the war in Ukraine: forcing Zelensky to hold presidential elections, banning Ukraine from joining NATO for at least 20 years, and pretending to demilitarize Ukraine," the international security expert said.

The analyst pointed out that, at the same time, "Trump’s return to the White House does not guarantee that the West will abandon its violent and hostile agenda." "The West, led by the US, has shown it is categorically against peace and the de-escalation of tensions in Ukraine, as prolonging the war serves the interests of military-industrial enterprises and several Western governments," Seif Tabrizi added.

"Knowing Trump's negative stance on military and financial support for Kiev, as well as the statements from candidates for key positions in his administration, who have repeatedly called for the end of the Ukrainian conflict, the West and NATO decided to do everything they could to escalate the war in Europe, ensuring that Trump's team won't be able to extricate itself in the future," the expert pointed out.

"As Russian President Vladimir Putin said, Moscow is prepared to make tough decisions in response to the actions of Kiev and its allies. Until the level of hostility with the US under Trump decreases, Russia’s military will continue to advance in Ukraine," Seif Tabrizi concluded.

The New York Times reported on November 17, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden had authorized the use of US-supplied ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles for strikes inside Russia. France’s Le Figaro newspaper, in turn, said that Paris and London had granted similar permission for the use of their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, respectively. The newspaper later removed the article from its website without explanation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated that Paris had not changed its stance on strikes deep inside Russia. The German government confirmed that the United States had informed Berlin of the decision to authorize strikes inside Russia.

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles 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 the parties had failed to come to a consensus on lifting the restrictions, ruling that every member state would decide for itself.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recalled that Moscow’s position on the Ukrainian strikes by US missiles deep into Russian territory was clearly and unambiguously formulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. According to him, this decision means a "qualitatively new round of escalation of tensions."