The month of December has already witnessed several waves of US-supplied long-range ATACMS target inside Russian territory. Many have been intercepted, but others have struck Russian bases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday addressed a meeting of his defense ministry wherein he warned that the Western allies are pushing Russia beyond a red line. He stressed that this means Moscow is pushed into a situation in which it must retaliate.
He began the comments by accusing the US of seeking "to weaken our country and inflict a strategic defeat" by continuing "to pump a de facto illegitimate ruling regime in Kiev with weapons and money, sending mercenaries and military advisers, thereby encouraging further escalation of the conflict."
Putin continued, according an English translation in state media, "They push us to the red line… we begin to respond, and then they frighten their population." He said that Washington authorities in this way use "simple tactics" to keep the American population in fear, allowing escalation of threats to continue.
According to another translation by Reuters:
The Russian president said: “They [Western leaders] are simply scaring their own population that we are going to attack someone there using the pretext of the mythical Russian threat.
“The tactic is very simple: they push us to ‘a red line’, from which we can not retreat, we start to respond and then they immediately scare their population - in the old days it was with the Soviet threat and now it’s with the Russian threat.”
He not only warned that Russia and other independent nations are facing West-sponsored "hybrid wars" - but that NATO is increasing its force posture in Europe near Russia's borders.
"The number of American service members in Europe has already exceeded 100,000 troops," he said, also noting that Washington's presence in the Asia-Pacific region has increased too.
Putin in the comments further hinted that though Moscow currently abides by the INF Treaty, even after Washington pulled out, all self-imposed restrictions could immediately be lifted should the US begin deploying its medium and short-range missile systems in violation of the now defunct treaty.
"If the United States begins to deploy such systems, then all our voluntary restrictions will be lifted," he warned. "The relocation and deployment of these missile systems in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region is already being practiced."
President-Elect Donald Trump on Monday said that he could immediately reverse the Biden admin's policy of allowing Kiev to hit Russia with US missiles. He has vowed to rapidly de-escalate and negotiate toward peace.
