Russia Warns US Missile Plan in Germany Could Trigger Cold War-Style Confrontation
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Thursday that the US plan to station long-range missiles in Germany could lead to a Cold War-style "direct confrontation."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the remarks to Russian state broadcaster Rossiya 1.
This followed the US announcement during a NATO summit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
The US plans to begin periodically deploying Tomahawk cruise, SM-6, and hypersonic missiles to Germany starting in 2026, saying they will act as a deterrent.
"We are taking steady steps towards the Cold War. All the attributes of the Cold War with the direct confrontation are returning," said Peskov.
Peskov said the US decision is an attempt to suppress Russia.
Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said Russia had anticipated such a move and will develop a military response.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) far-right party, which opposes German weapons deliveries to Ukraine, warned that Washington’s missile decision made "Germany a target."
"Chancellor Olaf Scholz is not acting in Germany’s interest," said AfD leader Tino Chrupalla.
"He is allowing Germany’s relationship with Russia to be permanently damaged, and we are falling back into the pattern of the East-West conflict."
The leftist Die Linke party also denounced the missile move as "highly problematic," saying it could cause a fresh arms race under the cover of so-called deterrence.
Sahra Wagenknecht, leader of the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance political party, better known as BSW, condemned the missile deal as "highly dangerous."
The latest development came after five children were wounded Thursday in the town of Shebekino in western Russia’s Belgorod Oblast.
A Ukrainian drone dropped an explosive device in the courtyard of a multi-story apartment building where there was a playground, according to Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova condemned the incident as a "deliberate terrorist attack."
Ukraine said Thursday that a Russian attack caused heavy damage in the southern port city of Kherson, wounding a municipal emergency services rescue specialist and an employee of the Kherson region military administration.
Numerous homes and infrastructure were damaged, according to reports.
