US Ukraine crisis Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

China on Monday reaffirmed its stance on the Ukraine crisis, calling for de-escalation and political settlement after the US reportedly permitted Ukraine to use Western long-range weapons to attack Russia, while Moscow warned that the decision will cause the West to become directly involved in the conflict.  

China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. Realizing an early ceasefire and striving for political settlement serves the interest of all sides, and the biggest imperative is to promote de-escalation as soon as possible, Lin Jian, a spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a routine press conference on Monday in response to media reports indicating that the US, the UK and France have authorized the use of long-range weapons by Ukraine for strikes inside Russia.

China always encourages and supports all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis, and stands ready to continue to play a constructive role in its own way for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Lin said.

US President Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two US officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday, in a significant reversal of Washington's policy in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Reuters reported.

Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said to Reuters, without revealing details due to operational security concerns.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that any US decision to allow Ukraine to fire American missiles deep into Russia would mean it was directly involved in the conflict, which it accused the Biden administration of escalating, Reuters reported.

Following the approval from Biden, France and Britain have also authorized the use of their weapons by Ukraine, allowing Kiev to strike deep inside Russian territory using their SCALP and Storm Shadow missiles, informs Le Figaro,  RBC-Ukraine reported.

However, the French newspaper Le Figaro appears to have updated its Sunday report on claims that France and Britain permitted Ukraine to use SCALP/Storm Shadow long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.

The article replaces the earlier assertion with the statement: "Debates are already raging in the offices about allowing the use of Western missiles against Russian territory," Kyiv Post reported. 

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times on Monday that if Ukraine attacks Russia with Western-made long-range weapons, this essentially gives Russia ample justification to target the weapons and supply lines that the West is providing to Ukraine. "The latest development seems like the Biden administration is trying to maximize their help for Kiev, but in fact they are hurting Ukraine, because these missiles cannot defeat Russia or cause any significant substantial damage, they instead give Russia a reason to further expand its gains on the battlefield for at least the next two months."

Making trouble for Trump?

The US move comes two months before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20 next year and follows months of pleas by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to allow Ukraine's military to use US weapons to hit Russian military targets far from its border, Reuter said.

In his nightly video address on Sunday, Zelensky said Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities will be key to its victory. "Today, there's a lot of talk in the media about us receiving permission for respective actions," he said. "But strikes are not carried out with words. Such things are not announced. Missiles will speak for themselves," US media outlet NPR reported.

Cui Heng, a scholar from the Shanghai-based China National Institute for SCO International Exchange and Judicial Cooperation, told the Global Times on Monday that in the final months of his last term, Biden is playing all the cards he has to support Ukraine.

The move creates obstacles for Trump's handling of the Russia-Ukraine conflict after he takes office next year, and increases the difficulty of orchestrating peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian troops are aware of the routes for military deliveries to the Ukrainian army, and long-range US weapons will be legitimate targets for Russia, just like any other armaments, Viktor Bondarev, first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, told TASS on Monday while commenting on the US decision.

In September, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that by allowing Ukraine to use its weapons to strike deep inside the country, the West will become directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict, according to TASS.

Given Russia's strong reaction, Cui noted that once Ukraine uses long-range weapons to attack Russian territory, Moscow is likely to retaliate. "This will further affect Russia's willingness to engage in negotiations, as this incident reveals the distrust that Western countries have toward Russia and their desire to weaken Russia to the greatest extent possible," Cui said.

"With the US allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike Russian territory, the situation is likely to worsen, and it may even spiral into further escalation," the expert said.