Washington [US], November 20 (ANI): Amidst heightened tensions of Moscow with Washington and other western countries, a spokesperson of Kremlin on Wednesday said that the special telephone hotline between Russia and the US, created after the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, is not currently in use.
Russian news agency TASS cited Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying that there has been no contact between the two countries via the channel.
When asked whether the hotline remains active Peskov said, “No. We now have a special protected communication channel for the two presidents. Moreover, [it] even has the option of the video conference format” as per the Russian state news agency.
According to the Kremlin’s official website, the latest phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart took place on February 12, 2022.
The Washington-Moscow hotline created for emergency talks between the leaders of the USSR and the United States had begun operating on August 30, 1963.
During the Cold War, the line was used for emergencies, but in recent years, the presidents of Russia and the United States communicated directly by phone when necessary.
TASS reported that in 2016, there were media reports that the acting US President Barack Obama allegedly used the ‘red phone’ to discuss the situation with cyber interference in the US election. However, the Kremlin denied this, explaining that the conversation was held through a regular closed line.
The Kremlin spokesman also said he did not have a chance to communicate with Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s press secretaries even when the Russian-US summit in Geneva was being organized.
While incoming US President Donald Trump announced that his campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt will be the new White House press secretary, the Kremlin spokesperson said although he is not acquainted with Leavitt, he is ready for dialogue.
Meanwhile, Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh on Wednesday in a daily briefing refrained from commenting on reports that Ukraine had used US supplied ATACMS missiles on Russia’s Bryansk Region. “I don’t have a comment on that,” she said.
Singh also declined a request to comment on the US permission to use ATACMS missiles for deep strikes on Russia.
On November 17, the New York Times reported, citing sources, that US President Joe Biden allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia.
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols later confirmed this information. Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said some EU countries also authorized the use of their weapons for deeper strikes inside Russia.
Russia on Tuesday reported that Ukrainian forces fired six US-produced ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region, with five being shot down by S-400 and Pantsir AA systems, and one causing a fire after its fragments fell in the technical zone of a military facility.
Notably, this incident comes following the decision of outgoing US President Joe Biden reportedly allowed Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia using long-range missiles, a move strongly condemned by Russia as a significant escalation of tensions, and involvement of the United States in the conflict.
Sharing a post on X, the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote, “Russia’s Defence Ministry: At 3.25 am, Ukrainian forces fired 6 US-produced ATACMS missiles at Russia’s Bryansk region.”
“Five missiles were shot down by S-400 and Pantsir AA systems, one was damaged, its fragments fell in the technical zone of a military facility, causing a fire,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a press breifing also spoke about the Ukrainian attack on Bryansk and said, “ATACAMS are being used against Bryansk Oblast of Russia. [The missiles] cannot be used without American experts & specialists. We will be taking this as a qualitatively new phase of the Western war against Russia & will react accordingly.”
According to Al Jazeera, Washington provided the first ATACMS long-range ballistic missiles to Ukraine last year but did not let Kyiv use them for strikes deep inside Russia.
Meanwhile, Putin on Tuesday signed a decree approving the Foundations of State Policy in the Field of Nuclear Deterrence, the country’s updated nuclear doctrine, just days after US President Joe Biden reportedly allowed Ukraine to fire US-supplied long range American tactical ballistic missiles ATACMS deep into Russia.
Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has warned that Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine provides for the possibility of a nuclear response to the use of Western non-nuclear warheads against Russia. Earlier, he said that the US decision to allow Ukraine to use American missiles to attack deep into Russia meant a “qualitatively new round of escalation of tensions.” (ANI)
Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from a syndicated feed of ANI; only the image & headline may have been reworked by News Services Division of World News Network Inc Ltd and Palghar News and Pune News and World News
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