Russia admits that there is communication with the US and praises Washington’s “quite restrained” reaction after the missile that fell in Poland | International

The war in Ukraine is experiencing a moment of maximum tension, but signs are beginning to emerge that the Kremlin and the White House are maintaining contact to prevent further escalation. Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday praised the prudence of the United States regarding the fall of a missile on Tuesday in Polish territory along the border with Ukraine, a rather unusual message in the current climate of confrontation. Peskov told several local media: “The communication channels [secretos con Estados Unidos] exist. I would like to suggest that you pay attention to the rather restrained reaction of the Americans, which contrasted with the absolutely hysterical reaction of the Polish side and other countries,” the spokesperson replied. This praise comes on the same day that the summit that the G-20 has held in Indonesia – a forum in which Russia participates, although Vladimir Putin avoided attending and delegated the Russian representation to the Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov – has achieved agree on a text of conclusions.

US President Joe Biden said it is “unlikely” that the missile that fell in Poland was fired from Russia. The US version, from the first moments, was that it could be an accident with an S-300 anti-aircraft system, used by the Ukrainian forces, in full tension due to the bombing that Ukraine was suffering at that time. However, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, assured, shortly after the facts were known, that the version that it could have been a mistake was “a conspiracy theory promoted by Russia”, and that it was not true.

Regarding the possible contacts between Washington and Moscow to elucidate the episode on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman responded with a laconic “I don’t know” when asked if there was a direct call with Washington as a result of the crisis in Poland. . The Wall Street Journal published on November 7 that the US National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan, and his Russian counterpart, Nikolai Patrushev, have held several confidential conversations in recent months. For her part, the Russian Foreign Affairs spokeswoman, María Zajárova, confirmed last week that there were “specific contacts with the US” on issues that require their participation. However, she qualified: “This has nothing to do with full-blown relationships.”

The Kremlin’s praise of Washington for its handling of the Polish crisis has not been the only indication that both nuclear powers want to avoid a major conflict. This Monday two envoys from both countries met for the first time since the war began. The meeting was held in Ankara, Turkey, and had nothing to do with Ukraine. CIA director Bill Burns and the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Narishkin once again resumed compliance with the New Start nuclear disarmament agreement.

For Dmitri Peskov, “there was no reason to provoke an escalation” with the incident in Poland. “The Poles had all the necessary means to immediately report that it was the remains of an S-300 missile. All the experts would have immediately understood that it could not be a rocket from the Russian armed forces”, added Putin’s spokesman, who took the opportunity to mix this event with the marine sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, in September .

Peskov said Wednesday: “At that time there was no such reaction, and no one was in a hurry to find out who organized that sabotage.” But just two weeks ago, Moscow accused the UK’s special services of blowing up the pipes in September, based on a tweet by fugitive US businessman Kit Dotcom. The computer scientist said, without a single proof, that the then British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, sent the message “it’s done” to the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, “one minute after” the sabotage. Dotcom was based on the hack of Truss’ motive discovered in July, when the attack on the pipes took place two months later.

Putin’s spokesman denounced, regarding the Polish missile: “We have witnessed another Russophobic reaction, a frenzied hysteria that has not been based on any real data.” And he advised: “One should never rush into an analysis that could promote escalation, especially at such crucial moments.”

For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry charged against the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, through a statement in which he delved into the differences between Ukraine and NATO regarding the missile that fell in Poland: “It seems that the kyiv authorities are taking advantage of every opportunity to blame Russia and thus try to consolidate Western support, as the Zelensky regime appears to have exhausted its backers.”

The incident on the Polish border has not been the only spark between Warsaw and Moscow in recent hours. Poland summoned the Russian ambassador after the event, and hours later, the Russian authorities have arrested a Polish citizen with diplomatic status for allegedly accepting a bribe of 20,000 euros to facilitate the smuggling of alcohol with manipulated documents. Three other Russian citizens have been arrested and the woman has been given a week to leave the country.

Russia denies the bombing in kyiv

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov also commented on the explosion that occurred within NATO territory and spoke for the first time about the broad offensive launched on Ukraine on Tuesday. According to the Russian Armed Forces, all its missiles hit the target and “precision strikes were only carried out on Ukrainian territory” against “command centers and energy facilities”, and at a distance “not less than 35 kilometers” from the border with Poland. . The Ukrainian government, however, stresses that it shot down at least 73 of the more than 90 missiles that were fired at its territory.

The Russian high command also took the opportunity to deny that it had attacked kyiv, despite images of several rocket explosions in the Ukrainian capital. “All the destruction demonstrated by kyiv in residential areas is a direct consequence of the self-destruction of anti-aircraft missiles launched from Ukrainian and foreign air defense systems located inside the city,” Konashenkov concluded.

Follow all the international information on Facebook Y Twitteror in our weekly newsletter.