What tricks does Vladimir Putin have up his sleeve? The Russian president is still silent on the American long-range mis

The decision of US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range missiles caused a significant resonance in Moscow, writes the BBC.

"Resigned US President Joe Biden has taken one of the most provocative, ill-calculated decisions of his administration, which threatens to have catastrophic consequences," writes the government-run "Rossiyskaya Gazeta”.

Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, called the decision one that "will inevitably lead to a serious escalation and may have serious consequences." Another politician, Vladimir Dzhabarov, described the move as "an unprecedented step towards World War III”.

Angry statements from Russian officials were expected, as the Kremlin has repeatedly warned the West about the risks of such decisions. In September, Vladimir Putin said that the use of Western weapons to strike Russia would be seen as "direct participation of NATO countries in the war”.

"This will mean that NATO countries... are at war with Russia,”, he stressed.

In October, the Kremlin announced possible changes to its nuclear doctrine, which many saw as a warning to the West not to transfer long-range missiles to Ukraine.

At a meeting with international journalists in June, Putin was asked how Russia would react if Ukraine were allowed to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory. The President of Russia replied:

"First, we will, of course, improve our air defense systems. Second, we believe that if someone thinks it is possible to deliver such a weapon into the war zone to strike our territory and create problems for us, why should we not be able to deliver our weapons of the same class to those regions in the world where they will be directed against important sites of countries that are doing this with Russia?“

These words could mean that the Kremlin is considering the possibility of transferring its weapons to third countries that could use them against the West.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko hinted in a recent interview that such scenarios are already being discussed:

"I warned them: "Guys, watch out for those long-range missiles of President Zelensky, supplying the Houthis with the Bastion missile system? What if the aircraft carrier is sunk?“

Some Russian publications tried to play down the significance of this decision. In particular, a military expert in the newspaper "Izvestia" claims that Russian armed forces already have experience intercepting ATACMS missiles in attacks against Crimea. The publication also suggested that US President-elect Donald Trump could reverse this decision by Biden after taking office.

In two months, Joe Biden will finish his term, and Donald Trump, who previously questioned military aid to Ukraine, will move into the White House. The Kremlin may take this fact into account when formulating its response to the transfer of missiles to Ukraine.