WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia vows response after Ukraine used US-made ATACMS to strike airfield

Russia said on Wednesday that Ukraine had struck a military airfield on the Azov Sea with six U.S.-made ATACMS ballistic missiles, a move that could prompt Moscow to launch another experimental intermediate-range hypersonic missile at Ukraine.

Russia's defence ministry said two of the missiles fired by Ukraine were shot down by a Pantsir missile defence system and the rest were destroyed by electronic warfare.

"On the morning of December 11, 2024, the Kyiv regime launched a missile strike with Western precision weapons at the Taganrog military airfield in the Rostov region," the defence ministry said.

"This attack by Western long-range weapons will not go unanswered and appropriate measures will be taken," it said.

Russia fired a new intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile known as "Oreshnik", or Hazel Tree, at Ukraine on Nov. 21 in what President Vladimir Putin said was a direct response to strikes on Russia by Ukrainian forces with U.S. and British missiles.

A U.S. official said on Wednesday that Russia could launch another hypersonic ballistic missile in Ukraine in the coming days, but Washington does not consider the Oreshnik weapon a game-changer in the war.

After approval from the administration of President Joe Biden, Ukraine struck Russia with six U.S.-made ATACMS on Nov. 19 and with British Storm Shadow missiles and U.S.-made HIMARS on Nov. 21.

Putin, after those attacks, said that the Ukraine war was escalating towards a global conflict after the United States and Britain allowed Ukraine to hit Russia with their weapons, and warned the West that Moscow could strike back.

The war is entering what some Russian and Western officials say could be its final and most dangerous phase as Moscow's forces advance at their fastest pace since the early weeks of the conflict.

President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office next month, has pushed for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war quickly, leaving Washington's long-term support for Ukraine in question.

Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine has left tens of thousands of dead, displaced millions and triggered the biggest crisis in relations between Moscow and the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Zelensky rejected Christmas ceasefire – Orban

Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky has rejected a proposed Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner swap with Russia, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. 

Orban made the remarks on X in response to a post by Zelensky criticizing a phone conversation between the Hungarian leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier that day. 

“At the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We proposed a Christmas ceasefire and a large-scale prisoner exchange. It’s sad that [Zelensky] clearly rejected and ruled this out today. We did what we could!” Orban wrote. 

Zelensky accused Orban of merely seeking to “boost personal image”with his diplomatic efforts and mockingly expressed hopes that the Hungarian leader “at least won’t call [former Syrian President Bashar] Assad in Moscow to listen to his hour-long lectures as well.” 

“No one should boost personal image at the expense of unity; everyone should focus on shared success. Unity in Europe has always been key to achieving it. There can be no discussions about the war that Russia wages against Ukraine without Ukraine,”Zelensky wrote.

Shortly after the social media exchange, Dmitry Litvin, an aide to Zelensky, flatly denied that any contacts between Kiev and Budapest on a proposed Christmas ceasefire and prisoner swap took place, effectively suggesting that Orban was not telling the truth.

“As always, Ukraine has not authorized Hungary to do anything. As always, Ukraine is working on a daily basis to free prisoners, and for two weeks now, relevant contacts have been ongoing regarding a significant exchange by the end of the year,” Litvin told Ukrainian media.

The aide also appeared to echo claims made by Zelensky about Orban’s true motives, stating that Ukraine needs “not PR, but a fair peace, and not blabber, but reliable security guarantees.”

Reuters/RT