The conflict in Ukraine has taken on a “global character”, says Vladimir Putin | War in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the conflict in Ukraine now had all the makings of a “world” war and affirmed that he did not rule out striking Western countries.

These threats from the master of the Kremlin come at the end of a day of extreme tensions where Russia used a latest generation missile designed to carry a nuclear warhead on Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the shooting was an act of crazy neighbor who uses Ukraine as testing ground military.

The United States referred the Russian president to his own accusations: It is Russia which provokes the escalation in Ukraine, the White House spokeswoman said. Washington also said it did not no reason to modify its nuclear doctrine at the discretion of the irresponsible speech from Moscow.

The Pentagon, for its part, confirmed having been informed by Moscow shortly before the launch of the missile via nuclear risk reduction channels.

During the day, Ukraine accused Russia of having struck it in Dnipro, in the center of the country, using a missile having all the characteristics of an intercontinental missile devoid of its nuclear warhead, a first in history constituting an unprecedented escalation of war and Russian-Western tensions.

Mr. Putin therefore confirmed, in a brief speech broadcast on television, that in response to Western missile strikes on its territory, Russia had fired on Ukraine on Thursday with a new type of hypersonic ballistic missile called Orechnikwho was in his nuclear-free configuration.

This shot was aimed a site of the Ukrainian military-industrial complexhe said.

The city of Dnipro is home to the Pivdenmash group, formerly YuzhMash, which during the Soviet era was one of the centers of the military missile industry.

In his address to the nation lasting less than 10 minutes, Vladimir Putin denounced the two strikes carried out in recent days by Ukraine on Russian territory using American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles.

American President Joe Biden, who had long refused to do so, authorized these strikes on Russian territory with American weapons on Sunday, despite warnings from Russia which had brandished the nuclear threat.

With the authorization of these strikes by Washington, the conflict provoked by the West in Ukraine has taken on the elements of a [conflit] global in naturesaid the Russian president.

We consider ourselves within our rights to use our weapons against the military installations of countries that authorize the use of their weapons against our installations.

New worrying development

In addition to American ATACMS missiles, the Ukrainians therefore have Franco-British Storm Shadow/Scalp cruise missiles supplied by these two countries. Germany, long requested to supply its own Taurus cruise missiles, categorically refused.

In the midst of the escalation of the conflict, Mr. Putin assured that Russia was ready for everyone the scenarios, both against Ukraine and against the West.

The use of such a missile to strike Ukraine is a worrying new developmentcommented the spokesperson for the UN Secretary General.

Even before the confirmation of this shot by Vladimir Putin, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs had denounced an event extremely serious if it were true.

The European Union and London had stressed that this would constitute a climb from Moscow.

The Russian president is trying to rewrite the principles of international relations by returning to the law of the strongest and destroying the security architecture that has ensured peace for generationsunderlined the heads of French and British diplomacy in a joint article published Thursday evening by Le Figaro.

Moscow must reconsider his position on the involvement escalatory of North Korean soldiers in the conflict, for his part underlined the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu.

It was the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to confront the Ukrainian army in the Russian border region of Kursk that was put forward by the United States to change its position on the issue of missile strikes. Westerners in Russian territory.

Tensions at their highest

The extent of the damage after the Russian ballistic missile was fired in Dnipro was not immediately clear. Two people were injured in the area by Russian strikes on Thursday, according to regional governor Serguii Lyssak.

The attack occurs at a time when tensions are at their highest between Moscow and the West, with the approach of Donald Trump's return to the White House in January, anticipated as a turning point.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine almost three years ago, has increased major strikes in Ukraine and warnings to kyiv's allies in recent days.

Moscow has particularly strengthened its nuclear warnings in recent days.

According to its new doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons, made official on Tuesday, Russia can now use them in the event of an attack massive by a non-nuclear country, but supported by a nuclear power, a clear reference to Ukraine and the United States.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, 26 people were injured in strikes in Kryvyï Rig, a town located about 100 kilometers southwest of Dnipro, according to Governor Serguiï Lyssak.

At the same time, the Russian army continues to advance in eastern Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Thursday the capture of a small town near the town of Kurakhové, in eastern Ukraine.

Russian advances are particularly worrying for kyiv, which fears being pushed to the negotiating table in an unfavorable position.