NATO is also concerned about the use of a new Russian missile in the war against Ukraine. Chancellor Scholz warned of a “dangerous escalation”. The Kremlin spoke of a “message to the West.” China urged restraint.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte calls a special meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council following the deployment of a new Russian medium-range missile. According to an alliance spokesman, the meeting next Tuesday will focus on the recent Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. Russia fired the new medium-range missile called Oreshnik on Thursday morning.
According to Russian information that has not yet been independently confirmed, it can fly at hypersonic speeds and cannot be intercepted. Experts assume that it could also be equipped with nuclear explosive devices. Six individual warheads are said to have struck Dnipro on Thursday.
Ukraine: Rocket reached eleven times Speed of sound
One day after the attack, Ukraine made its own findings about the missile public. The rocket reached more than eleven times the speed of sound, the Ukrainian secret service said. It flew for 15 minutes from takeoff in the Astrakhan region of southern Russia to impact in Dnipro in central-eastern Ukraine. “The speed in the final portion of the flight path was over Mach eleven,” the intelligence agency said.
Russia speaks of “message to the West”
Russia described the use of a new hypersonic medium-range missile against Ukraine as a “message to the West.” Russia will respond to rash actions by Ukraine's Western supporters, says Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that allowed Ukraine to attack Russian territory with missiles they supplied “cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side,” says Peskov.
Scholz: “Dangerous escalation”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the use of a Russian medium-range missile against Ukraine as a dangerous escalation. “Everyone can see how dangerous this war is from the recent escalation,” said the Chancellor at an SPD community event. This also applies to the deployment of North Korean soldiers on the Russian side.
Germany is a staunch supporter of Ukraine. But the fact remains that no “Taurus” cruise missiles will be delivered to Ukraine, emphasizes Scholz. A direct confrontation between NATO and Russia must be avoided.
China urges restraint
Meanwhile, China called on all sides to show restraint. “All parties should remain calm and exercise restraint,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters in Beijing. All sides in the conflict should also “work towards de-escalating the situation through dialogue and talks and create the conditions for an early ceasefire.”
China's position on the issue remains that of a proponent “of resolving the crisis through political means,” he added. China claims to be taking a neutral position in the conflict in Ukraine. However, there are close relations between Moscow and Beijing, which are causing criticism in the West. Among other things, China is accused of supplying Moscow with so-called dual-use goods that could be used in war.
Putin threatens Western states
Russian President Putin said in a televised address on Thursday evening that Russia had “tested one of the latest Russian medium-range missile systems in combat conditions.” It is a “hypersonic” rocket of an experimental nature. The use of the new Oreshnik medium-range missile is a response to the use of certain Western missiles against Russian territory.
The Russian president threatened to attack those Western states that allow Ukraine to use its missiles to attack targets in Russia. With the use of long-range Western missiles against targets within Russia, the Ukraine conflict has taken on “elements of a global character,” Putin warned.
In recent days, Ukraine has attacked targets on Russian territory with US ATACMS missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles supplied by Great Britain. Several Western countries, including Britain, the United States and France, have supplied Ukraine with longer-range missiles and guided missiles. Last weekend, Washington gave Kiev permission to use these weapons in the Russian hinterland.
