Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday warned that if Ukrainian armed forces were permitted to attack Russian territory using Western-made long-range missiles, it would mean the West’s direct involvement in the conflict, altering its nature and scope.
For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging Kyiv’s allies to allow Ukraine to use Western missiles, such as US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, to strike deep into Russian territory, aiming to restrict Moscow’s ability to launch attacks.
In his most assertive remarks on the issue to date, Putin said that such a decision would inevitably draw the countries supplying long-range missiles to Kyiv into the war. He explained that Nato military personnel would need to provide satellite targeting data and program the missiles’ flight paths, as Kyiv lacks the necessary capabilities.
“So this is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of deciding whether or not Nato countries are directly involved in a military conflict,” Putin told Russian state TV.
Putin added, “If this decision is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of Nato countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”
Putin said that Russia would be forced to make “appropriate decisions” based on the new threats, without specifying what those measures could entail. In the past, he has mentioned the possibility of arming the West’s enemies with Russian weapons to strike Western targets abroad and, in June, discussed deploying conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 with tens of thousands of troops, triggering the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the peak of the Cold War.
Putin portrays the conflict as part of an existential battle with a declining West, which he believes humiliated Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine. The West and Ukraine, on the other hand, describe the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and have pledged to defeat Russia on the battlefield. Currently, Russia controls over 18% of Ukrainian territory.
For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been urging Kyiv’s allies to allow Ukraine to use Western missiles, such as US ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, to strike deep into Russian territory, aiming to restrict Moscow’s ability to launch attacks.
In his most assertive remarks on the issue to date, Putin said that such a decision would inevitably draw the countries supplying long-range missiles to Kyiv into the war. He explained that Nato military personnel would need to provide satellite targeting data and program the missiles’ flight paths, as Kyiv lacks the necessary capabilities.
“So this is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is a question of deciding whether or not Nato countries are directly involved in a military conflict,” Putin told Russian state TV.
Putin added, “If this decision is taken, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of Nato countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This will be their direct participation, and this, of course, will significantly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.”
Putin said that Russia would be forced to make “appropriate decisions” based on the new threats, without specifying what those measures could entail. In the past, he has mentioned the possibility of arming the West’s enemies with Russian weapons to strike Western targets abroad and, in June, discussed deploying conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 with tens of thousands of troops, triggering the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the peak of the Cold War.
Putin portrays the conflict as part of an existential battle with a declining West, which he believes humiliated Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by encroaching on what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine. The West and Ukraine, on the other hand, describe the invasion as an imperial-style land grab and have pledged to defeat Russia on the battlefield. Currently, Russia controls over 18% of Ukrainian territory.