Russia targets US missile base in Poland, tensions escalate
Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has threatened to attack the American base in Redzikowo. "We take our commitments under Article 5 of NATO seriously," assured John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council.
Last week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared that the American missile defence base in Poland has long been among potential priority targets for Russia.
She accused the United States of actions aimed at "projecting American power" into areas far from U.S. territory, which, according to Zakharova, is intended to "exert forceful pressure on Russia and some other nuclear states."
Zakharova stated that this leads to "increasing strategic risk" and consequently "raising the overall level of nuclear threat." She added that "if necessary," an attack on the base could be carried out using the latest weaponry. Now, Washington has responded.
The USA responds
John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, was asked about Russia's threats.
"President Joe Biden is steadfast on this issue. We will do everything in our power to ensure the safety of our troops on the European continent. And equally important, we take our commitments under Article 5 to our NATO allies extremely seriously. This is indisputable and will not change," he assured.
During Monday's briefing, Kirby also seemed to publicly confirm for the first time that the USA has granted Ukraine permission to use ATACMS ballistic missiles inside Russia. As he stated, Ukraine is effectively using these missiles "for urgent defence needs," currently including areas "in and around the Kursk region."
"I'll let the Ukrainians speak about how they use ATACMS and their target selection procedures, what they use them for, and how well they are doing it. (...) We have modified the rules so they can strike these specific types of targets," Kirby said.
On November 13 at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, a ceremony took place in Redzikowo, Pomeranian Voivodeship, marking the opening of a base managed by the U.S. Navy, which is part of the American so-called missile defence shield aimed at protecting the USA and its European allies from ballistic missile attacks, primarily from Iran.
The launch of the base is one of the final steps in the long-standing American programme European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), which represents the U.S. contribution to NATO's integrated air and missile defence system.
