(Moscow) The decision announced this week to deploy long-range U.S. missiles in Germany could make European capitals targets for Russian missiles and victims of a confrontation between Washington and Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Saturday.
“Europe is a target for our missiles, our country is a target for American missiles in Europe. We have already experienced this, we have gone through it. We have the capacity to contain these missiles, but the potential victims are the capitals of these European countries,” he said, referring to the decision by Washington and Berlin to deploy different types of long-range American missiles in Germany in 2026.
At the NATO summit, Washington and Berlin announced in a joint statement on Wednesday that the United States would “begin episodic deployments of long-range fire capabilities” in Germany in 2026, citing SM-6 missiles, Tomahawk missiles and hypersonic weapons under development, which will increase the range of capabilities currently deployed in Europe.
PHOTO JARET MORRIS, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Tomahawk missile launched from the destroyer USS Stethem during training on September 20, 2016.
This “will demonstrate the United States’ commitment to NATO and its contribution to an integrated European deterrent,” the joint statement said.
The announcement was denounced by the Kremlin as a form of return to the “Cold War”, and the defense chiefs of the two nuclear powers spoke on Friday to discuss “reducing the risk of escalation”, according to Moscow, while Washington insisted on the occasion on “the importance of maintaining lines of communication”.