Keith Kellogg, the U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, warned that the risk of escalation in the Ukraine conflict is rising sharply after Ukrainian forces used drones to strike Russian nuclear-capable bombers deep inside Russia.
Ukraine claimed it attacked air bases in Siberia and other northern regions of Russia over the weekend, targeting sites up to 4,300 kilometers from the front lines.
“I’m telling you, the risk levels are rising sharply after what happened over the weekend,” Kellogg said in an interview with Fox News.
“When you attack a part of the opponent’s national survival system — their nuclear infrastructure — that means the risk level increases because you don’t know how the other side will respond,” he added.
Russia and the U.S. collectively possess around 88 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons.
Kellogg emphasized that the physical damage to the Russian bombers is less important than the psychological impact on Russia. He also expressed concern over unconfirmed reports that Ukraine targeted a naval base in northern Russia.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated Tuesday that President Trump was not notified in advance of Ukraine’s drone strikes on Russian bombers.
On Monday, Russia and Ukraine held talks but made no progress toward ending the war Moscow started over three years ago.
Regarding negotiations, Kellogg said Ukraine maintained a “very reasonable” position, while Russia approached the talks with a “very maximalist” stance.
