US President Joe Biden’s decision to allow Ukraine to use US long-range missiles in Russia shows that his administration wants to “add fuel to the fire” of the conflict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

“It is clear that the outgoing administration in the United States wants to add fuel to the fire and escalate the conflict in Ukraine,” Peskov told reporters on Monday.

He said that if Biden’s decision “is formulated and communicated to the regime in Kiev, this is of course a qualitatively new round of tension.”

Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had set out Russia’s position “extremely clearly and unequivocally” in comments he made in St. Petersburg in September.

During that meeting, Putin was asked to comment on the possibility that the US would allow Ukraine to use American weapons to attack targets deep inside Russia.

“If this decision is made, it will mean nothing less than direct involvement – ​​it will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine,” Putin said at the time.

“This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia.”

He said that if that were to happen, Russia would “make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”

Peskov said on Monday that “everything was said extremely clearly” by Putin in St Petersburg. “I simply recommend that you once again familiarize yourself with these words of the President,” he added.