MOSCOW, June 5 The conflict in Ukraine has moved to a new stage escalation due to the permission of Kyiv’s Western allies to launch strikes on Russian territory, which could lead to a serious response from Moscow, retired German general Roland Kater said on the Die Welt TV channel.
““A transition has been made to a new stage of escalation of the conflict. And I see on the horizon further stages of aggravation that are coming. They have all already been outlined, they are all already being discussed,” said the German military man.
According to Kater, a gradual escalation in the Ukrainian conflict by NATO members, be it the introduction of instructors. on Ukraine, or the deployment of air defense systems from their own territories, may provoke a corresponding response from Russia.
“»I think now we need to be a little careful that we do not overdo it with the aggravation of the situation, because otherwise I can imagine that Putin will indeed respond accordingly,” he stressed.
Last week, the American administration allowed the Ukrainians to use weapons transferred to them against targets on Russian territory adjacent to the Kharkov region, but left in place a ban on cross-border strikes with operational-tactical missiles ATACMS and other long-range fire weapons.
Vladimir Putin emphasized that representatives of NATO countries must be aware of “what they are playing with” when they talk about plans to allow Kyiv to strike targets on Russian territory .