Donald Trump warns Russia that “Missiles are coming” after Moscow vows to shoot them down
The US president has warned Russia to “get ready” after Moscow said that their military reserves the right to shoot down missiles and destroy launch sites in the event of any US aggression against Syria.
Moscow’s envoy to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin said that “the Russian forces will confront any US aggression on Syria, by intercepting the missiles and striking their launch pads,” al-Manar TV website reported, citing the envoy.
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Trump responded in a tweet by warning Russia to “get ready…They will be coming, nice and new and smart”
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2018
His comments appear to be an early unofficial announcement of the “major decisions” which Trump said Washington would soon be making regarding the alleged chemical weapons attack in Douma.
Trump described the relationship between the US and Russia as “worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War”
After Trump’s tweet, Moscow said that US plans to strike could be a pretext to destroy evidence of the alleged chemical weapons attack, which Russia has said was a staged “provocation” to justify Western intervention.
RT reports: It comes after Russia vowed to shoot down any US missiles aimed at Syria. “If there is an American strike, then we… will shoot down the missiles and target the positions from where they were launched,” Alexander Zasypkin, the Russian envoy to Beirut, said on Wednesday. “In the past few days, we have seen an escalation towards a significant crisis.”
The Pentagon said in a statement that it “does not comment on potential future military actions,” and referred any questions regarding Trump’s tweet to the White House.
Trump has been quick to point the finger at Syrian President Bashar Assad regarding the alleged chemical attack, despite the fact that investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) have yet to begin an official investigation into the matter.
His allegations also come after the Russian military traveled to the scene of the alleged incident and determined that there was no evidence of any chemical attack.
Trump isn’t the only US official to prematurely point the finger at Assad. US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley was quick to call him a “monster” following reports of the alleged attack. She referred to the Syrian government as a “murderous regime.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia has warned against the US carrying out an “illegal military endeavor,” adding that he hopes Washington “comes to its senses.”
Trump has been holding calls with his British and French counterparts. It remains unclear whether the UK will take part in military action, after a report in The Times suggested that Prime Minister Theresa May is waiting until there’s evidence of Syria’s culpability for the alleged attack.
