The current confrontation between Russia and the West over Ukraine is unparalleled in history and a mistake could usher in disaster.
A Word Of Caution
A senior Russian diplomat urged caution when asked about comparisons to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and said that a mistake could lead to catastrophe.
“We are moving through unexplored military and political territory,” he told reporters in Moscow.
Major Confrontation Between Russia And The West
The 2-1/2-year-old Ukraine war, the biggest land war in Europe since World War II, has triggered a major confrontation between Russia and the West.
The Most Dangerous Phase
Russian officials say it is now entering its most dangerous phase to date.
Russian diplomats have previously invoked comparisons to the 1962 crisis.
That was the time when the Cold War superpowers are considered to have come closest to intentional nuclear war after Moscow secretly put missiles on Cuba.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Urges Caution
But Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Thursday: “What is happening has no analogues in the past.”
Ryabkov oversees arms control and relations with North America.
He said that the danger of an armed clash between the nuclear powers should not be underestimated.
He questioned whether or not those in the West were able to “sensibly assess the consequences of their course”.
Russia has been warning the United States and its allies for weeks.
What Will Constitute A Major Escalation?
It said that if U.S. permits Ukraine to strike deep into Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles, then Moscow will consider it a major escalation.
What Zelenskyy Has Been Saying?
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging Kyiv’s allies for months to let Ukraine fire Western missiles deep into Russia.
These include long-range U.S. ATACMS to limit Moscow’s ability to launch attacks.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Position
President Putin explained that Western approval for such a step would mean “the direct involvement of NATO countries, the U.S. and European countries in the war in Ukraine”.
The Kremlin chief has changed Russia’s nuclear doctrine to give Russia a slightly lower threshold for using such weapons in response to the situation.
Ukrainian President Urges The West to Disregard Russia’s “Red Lines”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the West to cross and disregard Russia’s so-called “red lines”.
In a post today on X, Zelenskyy said, “What we need in our region is more determination from our partners to put an end to Russian terror.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
