Newsweek, by Brendan Cole: Kremlin propagandists have claimed that countries in Latin America, including Mexico, could host missiles that can strike American targets.
The comments were made on the program 60 Minutes, whose anchors and guests make frequent threats against the West as they frame Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as a proxy war between Moscow and NATO.
Kyiv had long argued it needed to be able to strike targets on Russian territory, especially after Moscow’s forces made rapid gains in the border areas of the Kharkiv region. Washington finally gave the go ahead for its weapons to be used in this way, albeit with caveats.
In a monologue, host Evgeny Popov referred to comments by President Joe Biden that U.S. permission for Kyiv to use weapons to hit Russia did not mean that they could be used to hit Moscow or any government buildings.
Popov concluded that by merely mentioning this, Biden showed that “these thoughts do exist somewhere at the back of his mind.”
The clip then showed Popov’s wife and co-anchor Olga Skabeeva reporting from the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum where she said Putin had addressed how to respond to deliveries to Ukraine of “high-precision long range missiles” and permission to use weapons on Russian territory.
She said one “asymmetric” response from Moscow would be to deliver missiles “to those nations that are willing to strike our enemies,” and listed allies such as Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
Another “more traditional” option would “obviously be a nuclear strike as soon as we see an existential threat to our country,” she said, repeating Kremlin rhetoric about the undefined red lines for nuclear weapons use.
The clip posted by journalist and Russia watcher Julia Davis on June 9 then showed Popov back in the studio, in front of a map of “friendly jurisdictions” to Moscow, which included Yemen, Iran, Serbia, Nicaragua and Mexico.
“Russians on Kremlin State TV yesterday declared that Mexico was their military ally and they are wanting to place their missiles on Mexican territory so Mexico can attack the United States,” Jake Broe a former U.S. Air Force nuclear and missile operations officer, posted on X next to a screen grab. “This is insane.”
Mexico has condemned Putin’s invasion of Ukraine but has adopted a policy of neutrality and refused to participate in sanctions against Moscow. Newsweek has contacted the Mexican foreign ministry for comment.
One guest, Alexei Fenenko, a research fellow at Moscow’s Institute of International Security Studies, asked Popov: “I keep thinking, when will we finally show a map of where our missiles can strike the U.S. and not where their American missiles are striking us?”
This proposed map could show how “Anchorage, Honolulu, Seattle, Guam and San Francisco are within our reach. Why don’t we show them this kind of a map?”
“They will scream that Russians are villains and scoundrels,” Fenenko said. “Yes, you are risk of a retaliatory strike.”
Davis wrote next to the clip how “hosts and pundits on Russian state TV praised Putin for his threats against the West and claimed that there are billions of people who would love to be able to strike the United States with Russian weapons.”
It comes as the U.S. State Department told Newsweek in a statement on Sunday that Russia was engaging in “dangerous and irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.”
National Security Council arms control official Pranay Vaddi said last week the U.S. may deploy more strategic nuclear weapons to deter the threats posed by Moscow, China and other adversaries, prompting Beijing to accuse Washington of “undermining nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation.”
But a State Department spokesperson said that Washington “believes in the value of diplomacy” in arms control and nonproliferation measures.
“Such measures are especially important now, when nuclear risks are increasing due to Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine,” and “development of a new anti-satellite weapon carrying a nuclear device,” the statement said.
“If Russia and China remain unwilling—and instead take further steps to increase the salience of nuclear weapons—we will have no choice but to adjust our posture and capabilities as needed to preserve deterrence and stability,” it added.
Prophetic Link:
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…” Matthew 24:6-7.
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