Kremlin's Peskov Speaks On US Debate, ATACMS & Strikes On Oil Facilities

Kremlin spox Dmitry Peskov has been speaking to reporters on a wide range of geopolitical issues. Regarding last night's US presidential debate, Peskov says that he 'really did not like the way [President Vladimir] Putin's name was bandied around,' in the debate. On Republican candidate former President Donald Trump's claim that he could end the war in Ukraine with a phone call to Putin, Peskov says 'such a call would not end anything', and that 'what could help end the conflict is if the US stopped using Ukraine as a way of keeping Russia down'.

• On the potential shift in US stance to allow Ukraine to use long-range ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles against Russia (see 'UKRAINE: Biden Could Lift Long-Range Missile Ban Within Weeks-Reports' 1001BST), Peskov says that 'it looks like such a decision [has] already [been] taken'. Adds that the US and Europe 'have direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict', and that Russia's response to the use of such missiles will be 'appropriate'. Peskov: 'US attempts to distance itself from such involvement are not working'.
• On reports that Iran has delivered supplies of ballistic missiles to Russia, Peskov says they are 'baseless', but that Russia 'will continue to cooperate with countries like Iran in Russia's own interest'.
• On Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil infrastructure, claims that the 'efficiency of such strikes is minimal thanks to defensive measures', and that 'measures are being taken to ensure energy supplies to people and the Russian economy'.