It does not seem that American-Russian relations will improve anytime soon, as tensions remain high. The official spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakhrova, stated that the Ukrainian armed forces attacked residential areas in Belgorod with American-made "HIMARS" missiles just hours after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken permitted strikes on Russian territory. In a press conference on the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, she emphasized that immediately after Blinken's remarks, and literally just a few hours later, Ukrainian forces attacked residential areas in Belgorod using American-made "HIMARS" missiles, as she put it.
This incident followed U.S. President Biden describing his Russian counterpart as "not a respectable man... he is a dictator." Biden added during an interview with ABC News: "I have known him for over 40 years. He has been a concern for me for 40 years. He is not a respectable man." He further stated, "He is a dictator, and he is struggling to ensure that he maintains his country's coherence as this attack continues," referring to the war in Ukraine. He also clarified that providing Kyiv with weapons is intended to strike Moscow or the Kremlin, or to attack across the border, where Ukrainians are subjected to heavy fire from the conventional weapons used by the Russians.
