Russia's Envoy Warns 'Disastrous Consequences' if U.S. Troops Enter Ukraine

As senior U.S. military officers deployed to NATO's front line with war-torn Ukraine warned they were prepared to join the fight against Russia if called upon, Russia's ambassador to the United States told Newsweek that such a move would bring about catastrophic ramifications.

In a CBS News report published Friday, commanders of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division stationed just miles from the Romanian border with Ukraine were cited as saying they were ready to cross over in response to any escalation or attack on NATO.

The report raised eyebrows, as President Joe Biden has repeatedly vowed not to send U.S. soldiers into Ukraine itself, even as he sent over units to the border that have not been deployed to Europe since World War II.

Hours after the report emerged, National Security Council Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby emphasized that "nothing has changed about the commander-in-chief's decision that there will be no American troops fighting inside Ukraine."

But the comments also made their way to Moscow and its embassy in Washington, where Ambassador Anatoly Antonov told Newsweek that "we have already officially pointed out to high-ranking members of the US Government that such bravura statements by the U.S. Army commanders are inadmissible."

He also warned that Moscow would not stand idly by should the Pentagon make good on such language.

"We are not going to tolerate a situation where military threats are mounting on Russian borders," the Russian envoy said. "Direct participation of the U.S. military in the fighting will lead to disastrous consequences. I am convinced that further aggravation of the situation is not in Washington's interests."

Antonov argued that "Washington is becoming increasingly involved in the conflict in Ukraine, turning the country's territory into a battlefield with Russia," echoing the words of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his interview with Newsweek last month.

"Despite concerns of the American public and calls by a number of legislators — not only Republicans, but also Democrats — the Administration is pursuing its own line," Antonov said.

In a letter sent to the White House last week, 30 Democrats in the House of Representatives called on Biden "to make vigorous diplomatic efforts in support of a negotiated settlement and ceasefire, engage in direct talks with Russia, explore prospects for a new European security arrangement acceptable to all parties that will allow for a sovereign and independent Ukraine, and, in coordination with our Ukrainian partners, seek a rapid end to the conflict and reiterate this goal as America's chief priority."

The letter quickly became the subject of fierce debate, however, as other Democrats denounced it, doubling down on their support for Ukraine and accusing the signatories of echoing the points of Republicans such as Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who has warned conservatives would not write a "blank check" to Ukraine if the party wins a majority in next month's midterm election.

Democratic Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Progress Caucus, announced the letter would be retracted less than 24 hours after it was sent. She noted that it had been drafted and signed in June, and claimed it had been sent by staff "without vetting."

Nonetheless, Kirby also addressed the message during Friday's press gaggle, telling reporters that the Kremlin's recent handling of the conflict, including internationally unrecognized referendums to annex four Ukrainian regions into the Russian Federation and the mobilization of up to 300,000 new Russian troops into action, indicated that President Vladimir Putin "was in no mood to negotiate." Kirby said Washington would only pursue talks alongside Kyiv, and not bilaterally with Moscow.

In this context, Kirby said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "does not think it is time to sit down and have a negotiation with Putin."

"What we're going to stay focused on," Kirby added, "is making sure that he and his troops can succeed on the battlefield so that if and when it comes time to sit down at the table, Mr. Zelensky can succeed."

But Antonov argued that the U.S. has demonstrated "the desire to inflict a strategic defeat on our country," a position that "is clearly spelled out in the recently published National Security Strategy."

The White House mentioned Russia more than any other country throughout the 48-page document released earlier this month. Among other things, the strategy touted U.S. efforts alongside allies in "helping to make Russia's war on Ukraine a strategic failure."

With the U.S.-Russia rivalry intensifying to levels not seen since the Cold War as the conflict in Ukraine drags on, Antonov turned to history to demonstrate a need for de-escalation between the world's two top nuclear weapons powers to avoid approaching the brink of mutually assured destruction.

Six decades ago to the day, one of the most critical moments in nuclear history happened when, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Soviet Communist Party Secretary Nikita Khrushchev sent a secret communication to U.S. President John F. Kennedy urging mutual de-escalation.

That message set the stage for the two leaders to navigate the crisis, even after the following day a U.S. U-2 spy plane was shot down over Cuba and U.S. Navy depth charges prompted a Soviet submarine to order a nuclear torpedo launch that was only narrowly averted through the intervention of a lone commander.

The crisis was ultimately resolved with a mutual withdrawal of weapons from one another's frontiers. But as Russia again demanded the U.S. pull back military infrastructure, this time in Eastern Europe, Antonov previously told Newsweek that the backdoor channels that allowed Kennedy and Khrushchev to talk their way out of a war no longer exist today for Biden and Putin.

Now the Russian envoy has reiterated his warning that the future for the two nations is uncertain.

"Let me remind you that 60 years ago, at the time of the most acute phase of the Cuban Missile Crisis, our countries came close to the 'threshold' of an all- destroying conflict, but at the very last moment they managed to take a step back," Antonov said. "Russian-American ties are at the bottom again. For the two foremost nuclear powers it would be madness to move further down."

"Still, today it is difficult to foretell how far the United States is ready to go in the escalation with Russia," he added. "We can only hope that the White House and the Pentagon will be able to pull up at the dangerous line."