The Kremlin has warned that any Ukrainian attacks on the Russian-annexed Crimea would be “extremely dangerous” after The New York Times reported that US officials were warming to the idea of helping Kyiv attack the Black Sea peninsula.
“The mere discussion of allowing Ukraine to be supplied with arms that would allow it to attack Russian territory … is extremely dangerous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
“It would mean taking the conflict to a new level, which would not bode well for global and pan-European security,” he added.
Crimea, which is internationally recognised as part of Ukraine, was seized by Moscow in 2014. The peninsula is the historical base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and a popular summer holiday destination. Asked whether Washington would seek to bar Ukraine from using US weapons in Crimea, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Wednesday that the peninsula was part of Ukraine and that the US was providing Kyiv with the supplies it needed to defend its territory.
