If the US administration has formulated the decision to use long-range ATACMS missiles to strike Russia, if it has actually brought this decision to Kyiv, then this would be a "qualitatively new round of tensions" in the conflict, Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"If such a decision has actually been formulated and brought to the Kyiv regime, then, of course, this is a qualitatively new round of tension and a qualitatively new situation from the point of view of the US involvement in this conflict," Peskov said commenting on the decision of the outgoing US administration to allow Ukraine to strike ATACMS deep into Russia.
Peskov said that the Kremlin paid attention to the publication in The New York Times. The material does not contain a link to official sources, he noted.
Journalists also asked Peskov whether the Russian president was going to deliver a special address in connection with Biden's decision. The president's position on strikes deep into Russia was clearly and unambiguously formulated in St. Petersburg, Peskov noted.
Putin then stated that permission for strikes would mean that NATO countries were "at war with Russia." Russia's position, according to the president's press secretary, should be clear and understandable to everyone.
Also read: What weapons Ukraine has to strike deep into Russia