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Earlier this week, Ukraine fired a fresh salvo of U.S.-made ATACMS missiles into Russian territory, according to Moscow.
President-elect Donald Trump has criticized the use of long-range missile systems to strike targets deep inside Russia, calling the policy a “big mistake.”
“Why are we doing that?”
Trump will begin his second, nonconsecutive presidential term on Jan. 20, 2025.
“We’re just escalating this war and making it worse,” he told the magazine, which has named Trump its “Person of the Year” for 2024.
The interview was conducted on Nov. 25—days after Ukraine began firing missiles into Russian territory with the use of advanced missile systems supplied by its Western allies.
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On Nov. 19, Ukraine fired six missiles into Russia’s western Bryansk region using the U.S.-made ATACMS (Army Tactical Missile System).
Two days later, it fired a combination of U.S.-made HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) and UK-made Storm Shadow missiles into Russia’s neighboring region of Kursk.
The twin attacks came shortly after the outgoing Biden administration gave Kyiv permission—in a dramatic policy shift—to use Western-supplied missile systems to strike targets deep inside Russia.
The White House cited Russia’s alleged deployment of thousands of North Korean troops in Kursk as the main reason for Washington’s policy shift.
Moscow and Pyongyang, meanwhile, have neither confirmed nor denied Western claims that North Korean troops are deployed in Russia to fight Ukrainian forces.
In the Time interview, Trump said the U.S. decision regarding long-range missile strikes into Russia “should not have been allowed to be done.”
“Now they’re doing not only missiles, but they’re doing other types of weapons,” he said. “And I think that’s a very big mistake.”
Later in the interview, Trump said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy “has decided, with the approval of … the [U.S.] president, to start shooting missiles into Russia.”
“I think that’s a major escalation,” he said. “I think it’s a foolish decision.”
Russia responded to last month’s long-range strikes into its territory by firing a hypersonic ballistic missile at a defense-industrial facility near the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Until now, the extent of the damage caused by the strike remains unclear.
He said Kyiv’s use of advanced Western missile systems was “not possible without the direct involvement of military experts from the manufacturing nations.”
This image was made from a video posted by a Telegram channel affiliated with the Ukrainian military on Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. The channel says it shows a U.S.-supplied ATACMS missile being fired from an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Lachen Pyshe Telegram via AP
Kyiv Strikes Again
On Dec. 11, a day before Trump’s interview with Time was published, Moscow said Ukraine had fired six more U.S.-made ATACMS missiles at a military airfield in Russia’s southwestern Rostov region.
According to Russia’s defense ministry, two of the missiles were downed by air defenses, while the rest were neutralized by electronic jamming systems.
On Dec. 12, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s response would “follow in a manner deemed appropriate.”
“But it will definitely follow,” he said.
Kyiv, meanwhile, has yet to issue a statement regarding this week’s alleged ATACMS strike or the Kremlin’s subsequent pledge to retaliate.
When asked about the Russian claims, a U.S. State Department spokesperson told The Epoch Times: “I have nothing to confirm at this time.
“Russia escalated its war against Ukraine by introducing DPRK [North Korean] forces onto the battlefield.
“Weeks ago … we told Russia that if they escalated this conflict by deploying DPRK troops, we would help Ukraine respond.
“And that is what we are doing. But I am not going to get into the details of that response.”
The spokesperson went on to stress Kyiv’s “right to determine how to defend itself.”
“The statement [by Trump] … is fully in harmony with our position,” he told reporters. “Our visions of reasons behind the escalation coincide.”
According to Peskov, it remains too early to tell how Trump will approach the issue once he takes office.
“Time will tell,” the spokesman said. “Let’s wait for the moment when the president-elect takes his seat in the Oval Office.”
“All I can do is reiterate what President Biden’s policy and guidance has been, and that is to do everything we can … to make sure Ukraine can continue to defend itself.”
