Ukraine crisis can't be resolved by missiles but dialogue

Although the reopening of the United States' embassy in Kyiv on Wednesday, after it had been shut for the day, suggests a temporary easing of tensions that have built up over the past few days, Ukraine using US missiles for the first time to strike targets deep into Russian territory undoubtedly represents a further worrying escalation of the Ukraine conflict.

Moscow had already warned that those countries allowing Kyiv to fire missiles deep into Russia would be directly involving themselves in the conflict. As such, it has updated its nuclear doctrine to lower the threshold for a nuclear strike so that any attack by a nonnuclear power supported by a nuclear power would be considered a joint attack, and that any attack by one member of a military bloc would be considered an attack by the entire alliance.

While Russia has so far not changed its nuclear posture, it said on Tuesday that Ukraine had fired six US-made Army Tactical Missile System missiles, with the range of about 160 kilometers, at Russia's Bryansk region, days after the Joe Biden administration had given Kyiv the green light to do so.

It is understandable that Kyiv desperately wants to keep Russia on the back foot. However, Kyiv's tactical gains from its strikes on Tuesday have been quite limited. The longer-range missiles that Kyiv has pinned its hopes on to be a "game-changer" cannot alter the balance of power in the conflict, as Russia moved many key assets out of range long before Kyiv gained permission to use such missiles from the US, the United Kingdom and France.

Ukraine's weapons suppliers have been reluctant to enable it to strike targets in Russia, out of the fear of giving Moscow the excuse to deem them legitimate targets. Thus the number of longer-range weapons they have provided Ukraine has fallen far short of Kyiv's demands. Even those that have been provided are subject to Kyiv getting approval to use.

That's why although the US has supplied Ukraine with dozens of ballistic ATACMS missiles, known as "attack'ems", and they have been used to destroy military targets in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine such as Crimea, they had not been used to strike targets deep inside Russia before Tuesday.

While Biden's decision was reportedly in response to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea sending troops to support Russian forces, analysts deem the move to be aimed at making it more difficult for his successor to quickly end the conflict as he has pledged to do.

In light of these developments, it is crucial for all parties involved to remain calm and exercise restraint and work together through dialogue and negotiation to promote de-escalation and reduce strategic risks. China's position on the Ukraine crisis has been consistent, firm and clear. It has always been on the side of peace and on the side of dialogue, and that all efforts conducive to the peaceful settlement of the crisis should be supported.

Beijing thus stands ready to further strengthen communication with relevant parties and to play a constructive role in promoting an early political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.