ANKARA (Reuters) – Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan opposes a U.S. determination to permit Ukraine to make use of long-range missiles to assault inside Russia, saying it will additional enflame the battle, in response to a readout shared by his workplace on Wednesday.
Ukraine used U.S. ATACMS missiles to strike Russian territory on Tuesday, profiting from newly granted permission from the outgoing administration of U.S. President Joe Biden on the 1,000th day of the battle in Ukraine.
On the identical day, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized a coverage doc that lowers the edge for Moscow to make use of nuclear weapons in response to assaults by an enemy utilizing typical weapons.
“Biden’s step would be interpreted as a move to enflame the war and to ensure that it never ends but spreads,” Erdogan instructed reporters on his flight again to Turkey from Brazil, the place he attended the G20 Summit.
“This step will not only escalate the conflict, but will also lead to a greater response by Russia,” he mentioned, urging each Moscow and Kyiv to train restraint.
NATO member Turkey says it helps Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it has condemned the Russian invasion, and has offered Kyiv with army help.
However Turkey, a Black Sea neighbour of each Russia and Ukraine, additionally opposes Western sanctions in opposition to Moscow, with which it shares essential defence, vitality and tourism ties.