The Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a July 13 interview that European capitals would be the “victims” if they hosted U.S. long-range missiles.
Peskov said that Russia can contain U.S. missiles after the announcement that Germany will host U.S.-made long-range missiles in 2026.
"Our country is in the crosshairs of American missiles located in Europe. We've been through all this before," he said in an interview with Russian TV propagandist Pavel Zarubin. "We have enough potential to deter these missiles. But the capitals of these states are potential victims."
He referenced the Cold War, when U.S. missiles in Europe were aimed at the Soviet Union, while Moscow aimed missiles at Europe.
Peskov also claimed that Europe is “bursting at the seams” and that history will repeat itself, in response to a comment that the Cold War ended in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Washington announced the deployment of missiles on July 10. Germany will host SM-6 and Tomahawk missiles, as well as hypersonic weapons that have a far longer range than any weaponry in Europe.
Some of the missiles can reach targets 2,500 kilometers away and are mostly used to hit ground targets.
European countries recently promised to develop long-range cruise missiles and ramp up defense production amid rising tensions with Russia and Ukraine's growing needs.
Currently, Germany is the only country to agree to host U.S. long-range missiles. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Washington that the agreement will act as a deterrent that secures the territory of NATO and Germany, Reuters reported on July 11.
"This decision has been a long time in the making and comes as no real surprise to anyone involved in security and peace policy," he added.
Chris York
(Updated: )
