https://arab.news/4jfbu
MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump鈥檚 Ukraine envoy said the risk of escalation from the war in Ukraine was 鈥済oing way up鈥� after Ukrainian forces used drones to strike nuclear-capable bombers at several air bases deep inside Russia.
Ukraine said it attacked airfields in Siberia and Russia鈥檚 far north over the weekend, striking targets up to 4,300 km (2,670 miles) from the front lines of the conflict.
鈥淚鈥檓 telling you, the risk levels are going way up 鈥� I mean, what happened this weekend,鈥� Trump鈥檚 envoy, Keith Kellogg, told Fox News.
鈥淧eople have to understand in the national security space: when you attack an opponent鈥檚 part of their national survival system, which is their triad, the nuclear triad, that means your risk level goes up because you don鈥檛 know what the other side is going to do. You鈥檙e not sure.鈥�
Russia and the United States together hold about 88 percent of all nuclear weapons.
Each power has three main ways of attacking with nuclear warheads, known as the nuclear triad: strategic bombers, land-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles and submarine-launched ballistic missiles.
Kellogg said the damage to the Russian bombers at the weekend was less important than the psychological impact on Russia and that he was particularly concerned by unconfirmed reports of a Ukrainian attack on a naval base in northern Russia.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Trump had not been informed in advance of Ukraine鈥檚 drone attacks on Russia鈥檚 bombers.
Russia and Ukraine held talks in Istanbul on Monday but made little headway toward ending the war that has raged since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine more than three years ago.
Kellogg said Ukraine had come up with a 鈥渧ery reasonable position鈥� but Russia had come with a 鈥渧ery maximalist position,鈥� and that the aim now was to 鈥渢ry to bridge that.鈥�