Erdoğan calls US decision on Ukraine missiles ‘big mistake’ that could escalate conflict

Washington’s approval for Ukraine to use long-range American missiles against military targets inside Russia is a “big mistake” that could drag the world to the brink of a “major war,” Agence France-Presse reported, citing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Wednesday.

The move to let Kyiv to use the powerful Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) represents a major US policy shift, sparking a furious response from Moscow which on Tuesday broadened the scope of when it can use nuclear weapons, in a clear warning to Ukraine and the West.

“This step by [US President Joe] Biden will not only escalate the conflict, but will lead to a greater reaction from Russia … [and] may bring the region and the world to the brink of a major new war,” the Turkish president told journalists on his flight back from the G20 summit in Rio.

The US decision “could be interpreted as a move to fuel the war, to ensure it never ends and even spreads,” he said, pointing out that Tuesday’s decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin allows Moscow to unleash a nuclear response in the event of a massive air attack, even if only with conventional weapons.

“The slightest mistake made on the basis of this big mistake … will be like throwing the powder keg into the fire, so I advise everyone to be careful,” he said.

Turkey, which enjoys friendly ties with its two Black Sea neighbors, has supplied Ukraine with drones but shied away from Western sanctions on Moscow.