MK socks Ukraine, on November 21, 2024. Photo: VCG" src="https://www.globaltimes.cn/Portals/0/attachment/2024/2024-11-22/92e01831-7ce3-4bd1-90fd-8da807af8b06.jpeg" />

Ukrainian firefighters work on a spot following an air-attack in Dnipro, Ukraine, on November 21, 2024. Photo: VCG

China on Friday called on all parties related to the Ukraine crisis to remain calm, exercise restraint, work for deescalation through dialogue and consultation, and accumulate conditions for an early ceasefire and political settlement of the crisis after reports that Russia fired a hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at Ukraine in response to the US and UK's allowing Kiev to strike Russian territory with advanced Western weapons. 

As the Russia-Ukraine conflict risked further escalation and growing complexity, with potential retaliatory attacks from both sides, and the US pledged to continue to provide new arms packages to Ukraine, Chinese experts criticized Washington for its irresponsible move, warning that such actions could prolong the conflict, deepen regional instability, and increase suffering for local populations and the global community.
 
In response to a question regarding the latest development of the Ukraine crisis, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian said at a regular press conference on Friday that China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. China advocates settling the crisis through political means and avoiding escalation of the situation. 

Russia launched an experimental hypersonic ballistic missile at Ukraine overnight in response to Kiev being given permission to strike Russia with US and British long-range missiles, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday, vowing to respond to further "escalation," Russian media reported. 

"Among the operations carried out was the testing of one of Russia's latest medium-range missile systems. In this case, a ballistic missile equipped with a non-nuclear hypersonic warhead was used," said Putin, noting that the system was named "Oreshnik" and the tests were deemed successful, with the target being hit as intended, according to the report. 

Putin also said that Russia would warn Ukrainian "civilians and citizens of friendly nations present in those areas to evacuate" if Russian armed forces were again to deploy Oreshnik missiles in the future, according to the report. 

Ukraine initially claimed that Russia had fired an intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon designed for long-distance nuclear strikes and never before used in war, according to Reuters. However, Putin clarified that it was an intermediate-range missile. 

Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, noted that the intermediate-range missile, capable of reaching distances of 6,000 kilometers - placing much of the West within its range - was used to strike a target more than 700 kilometers away. This action was primarily intended to send a clear message to the US and the UK that Russia is capable of responding to any retaliatory move.

A hypersonic ballistic missile can achieve speeds exceeding Mach 5 during its terminal phase. It is equipped with a conventional hypersonic warhead, highlighting its capability to deliver hypersonic payloads, said Song, noting that stressing a non-nuclear hypersonic configuration on this missile is also a message to the US and the West. 

In response to Putin's remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the use of the new missile amounted to "a clear and severe escalation" in the war and called for strong worldwide condemnation.  

A US official said Russia notified Washington shortly before its strike, while another official said the US had briefed Kiev and allies to prepare for the possible use of such a weapon, Reuters reported.  

NATO spokesperson Farah Dakhlallah said that "Deploying this capability will neither change the course of the conflict nor deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine," according to the report.  

Further escalation

Putin's remarks on Thursday appear designed to reassure the Russian public while signaling to the West that Russia continues to exercise strategic restraint regarding nuclear conflict. While Russia has no intention of initiating a nuclear war, the threshold for such a conflict has been lowered, Zhang Hong, a research fellow at the Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Friday. 

The situation, particularly in southern Russia, could become increasingly complex as Ukraine potentially deploys long-range weapons supplied by the West. Ukraine's expanding capabilities, including domestically produced cruise and ballistic missiles, could also provoke a heightened retaliation from Russia, said the expert. 

While Russia is likely to remain cautious about using nuclear weapons, it may escalate in terms of conventional retaliatory strikes. This could result in a harsh winter for Ukraine, with intensified attacks targeting military installations and critical infrastructure, leading to energy shortages and power disruptions, said Zhang.

The US said that it "will not be deterred" and would continue to provide new arms packages to Ukraine and work to speed up their delivery amid Russia's attack with the intermediate-range ballistic missile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Thursday. 

Zhang said that US President Joe Biden's decision to intensify support for Ukraine in the final months of his administration, ahead of Donald Trump's anticipated return to power in January, reflects a last-ditch and reckless approach. 

This move not only aggravates Russia but will also frustrate Trump and his team, potentially complicating Trump's reported plans to quickly end the war. It also highlights the deep, irreconcilable divide between Trump and the Democratic Party's establishment faction on the Ukraine issue, said Zhang. 

The US' irresponsible approval of advanced arms transfers to Ukraine could prolong the conflict, deepen regional instability, and increase suffering for local populations and the global community, said the expert. 

The evolving situation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict has raised worries of further escalation. Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for UN secretary general António Guterres, was cited by The Guardian on Friday as saying that "All of this [is] going in the wrong direction," and he called on all parties to de-escalate the conflict and "to protect civilians, not hit civilian targets or critical civilian infrastructure."