Russia warns of establishing a buffer zone if Ukraine receives long-range missiles from the US

When asked about the possibility that the new US aid package for Ukraine will include longer-range missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on April 24 that Russia’s stance on this issue has not changed.

Accordingly, Moscow will be forced to expand the “buffer zone” in Ukraine if Kiev receives longer-range missiles from the US. Russia believes that this missile will allow Ukraine to strike deeper into Russian territory.

Previously, two US officials told Reuters on April 23 that Washington is preparing a military aid package worth $1 billion for Ukraine. This is the first aid package originating from the $95 billion foreign aid bill about to be signed.

Mr. Peskov said all the new arms shipments to Ukraine will not change the dynamics on the front lines.

“The situation on the battlefield is too clear, but we keep repeating that all these new batches of weapons will not change the dynamics on the front lines,” the Kremlin spokesman emphasized.

He pointed out that a year ago, opponents “declared they were waiting for the moment when Russia would be defeated on the battlefield.”

“For every billion dollars that the US spends to order their military-industrial complex to send weapons to Ukraine, everyone is counting the days until Russia fails. Then everyone starts to worry.” afraid of the imminent collapse of the Ukrainian government,” Mr. Peskov said.

Mr. Apty Alaudinov, a senior official of the Russian Ministry of Defense and commander of the Akhmat task force, said that Ukraine was completely exhausted on all fronts and needed a continuous flow of money from outside to continue to exist.

According to him, the allocation of US financial aid may play a certain role in escalating the conflict, but cannot change the situation on the front.

Mr. Alaudinov added that if the Ukrainian army receives long-range weapons, they may seek to attack Russia’s civilian infrastructure due to its impotence on the front. At the same time, this official pointed out that no amount of financial aid can compensate for Ukraine’s human resource losses.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on April 23 that Ukraine has lost nearly 500,000 soldiers since the conflict broke out between the two countries.

Mr. Shoigu also stated that Russia is taking the initiative along the entire front line and is pushing back Ukrainian forces. He also stated that Ukraine was unsuccessful in its counteroffensive last year.

The Russian minister said the country would more aggressively target Ukrainian logistics centers and facilities storing Western weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin in March left open the possibility of establishing a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine. The Kremlin emphasized that creating a buffer zone is the only way to put Russian areas out of the range of Ukrainian weapons. Mr. Putin refused to provide more details about creating a buffer zone, but said a Such a zone would likely have to be large enough to prevent foreign-made weapons from striking Russian territory.