Former US Congressman Ron Paul has expressed that Russia faces immense pressure to retaliate against the US following a recent missile strike on a beach near Sevastopol in Crimea.
The strike, carried out by Ukrainian forces using a US-supplied missile, resulted in the deaths of five civilians, including two children, and injuries to over 150 people. The missile contained cluster munitions.
Paul, in his Monday appearance on the Ron Paul Liberty Report, characterized the strike as a joint Ukrainian and American attack on Russia. He emphasized that providing Ukraine with long-range missiles and authorizing their use deep within Russia inevitably led to this escalation.
“What’s Russia going to do about this?” Paul questioned. “Are they going to twiddle their thumbs and walk away? They might – for a day or two – ponder it, but there will be something that they’re going to do.”
US-supplied cluster bombs were used on beachgoers in Crimea yesterday, killing at least six and injuring more than 100.
Moscow has warned that “such actions will not go unanswered.”
Is this a NATO attempt to provoke a Russian reaction to justify further involvement? Next…
— Ron Paul (@RonPaul)
While Paul acknowledged that Moscow might prefer a less aggressive response, he asserted, “They can’t not respond.” He emphasized the Russian public’s expectation of action.
Russian Foreign Ministry officials summoned US Ambassador Lynne Tracy on Monday, informing her that the “bloody atrocity” in Crimea would not be tolerated.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian military launched five ATACMS missiles at Crimea. While Russian air defense systems intercepted four of the missiles, the fifth was damaged and deviated from its trajectory, exploding over a crowded beach.
The Kremlin has labeled the beach bombing an act of terrorism, holding both the US and Ukraine responsible. The attack occurred while a US drone remained in the Black Sea, and Moscow’s ambassador in Washington, Anatoly Antonov, has asserted that ATACMS launches rely on American-supplied targeting and intelligence.
Paul and his co-host, Daniel McAdams, pondered whether the missile strike was a deliberate escalation aimed at justifying direct NATO involvement in Ukraine. They expressed agreement with Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, who condemned the attack, stating that it should not be undertaken by the US military.
“The only border our American military should be defending is our own border,” Greene wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Paul’s background includes work as a physician before entering politics. He served in Congress for a total of 23 years and ran for president three times – as a Libertarian in 1988, and in Republican primaries in 2008 and 2012 – before retiring and establishing the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.