Askume, Sept 12 – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday the West would go to war with Russia if Ukraine allowed Western-made long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. He said the measure would change the nature and scope of the conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has for months urged Kiev’s allies to allow Ukraine to launch Western missiles, including US long-range missiles and British Storm Shadow missiles, into Russian territory to limit Moscow’s strike capabilities.
In his most aggressive comments to date on the issue, Putin said the move would directly involve countries that provide Kiev with long-range missiles in a war because satellite targeting data and the actual programming of the missile flight paths are not under NATO military control, as Kiev does not have such capabilities itself.
“So it’s not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to attack Russia with these weapons. It’s a question of deciding whether a NATO country is directly involved in a military conflict,” Putin told Russian state television.
“If this decision is made, it will be tantamount to the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. It will be their direct involvement, which is of course the very essence of the war in Ukraine. “The nature of the conflict will change significantly.”
Russia will be forced to make “appropriate decisions” based on the new threats posed by Putin.
He did not elaborate on what those measures might be, but he has spoken in the past about the option of arming Western enemies with Russian weapons to attack Western targets abroad, and in June called on the United States and its European allies to discuss deploying conventional missiles within striking distance.
Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power, is also revising its nuclear doctrine – under what circumstances Moscow would use nuclear weapons – and Putin is under pressure from an influential foreign policy expert to make changes to clarify Russia’s stance.
Russia is currently conducting major naval exercises with China and is considering imposing restrictions on the export of key commodities .
Western countries debate whether Kiev should be allowed to use long-range weapons to attack Russia, saying the situation threatens Moscow’s ability to acquire ballistic missiles from Iran .
In 2022, Russia sends thousands of troops to invade Ukraine, starting the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War.
Putin described the conflict as part of a battle for survival against a declining and decadent West.
The West and Ukraine have denounced the invasion as an imperialist land grab and vowed to defeat Russia on the battlefield. Russia controls more than 18% of Ukraine’s territory.
