US missiles in Germany signal Cold War, says Kremlin

MOSCOW: The United States´ plan to periodically station long-range missiles in Germany will lead to Cold War-style confrontation between Russia and the West, the Kremlin said on Thursday.

The White House announced the decision on Wednesday during a Nato summit in Washington, arguing the stationing of long-range weapons including Tomahawk cruise missiles in Europe acts as a deterrent.

“We are taking steady steps towards the Cold War,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a state TV reporter. “All the attributes of the Cold War with the direct confrontation are returning,” he said. He added Washington´s decision gave Russia “a reason to pull together” and “fulfil all the goals” of its military campaign in Ukraine.

Nato countries spearheaded by the United States have bolstered their defences in Europe in the wake of Russia´s 2022 offensive against neighbouring Ukraine.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed the planned deployment of the US weapons in his country, calling the move a “necessary and important decision at the right time”.Asked at a briefing with Russian news agencies about the outcome of the Nato summit, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “The North Atlantic alliance has once again very clearly confirmed its essence. It is an alliance created in an era of confrontation with the aim of maintaining confrontation.

“Tensions on the European continent are escalating” as a result, he added, saying the Kremlin was watching as Nato’s military infrastructure crept closer.