Reports indicate that the United States and the United Kingdom are close to allowing the Armed Forces of Ukraine to use U.S. and U.K.-supplied long-range missiles to conduct strikes deep into Russian territory.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy visited Kyiv on Wednesday, Sept. 11, to discuss this potential escalation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration.
Putin warned that such a move would mark NATO's formal entry into the war against Russia. He explained that Ukraine has already been conducting strikes with drones and other means, but using Western-made, long-range, high-precision missiles would be a different situation. (Related: NATO reaffirms stance of not directly engaging Russia despite Ukraine’s pleas.)
Putin emphasized that Ukraine cannot launch these advanced weapons without intelligence from the U.S. and U.K., utilizing NATO satellites.
“The key thing to understand is that only NATO personnel can program these missile systems. Ukrainian forces cannot do this,” said Putin. He further explained that the real question isn't whether Ukraine is allowed to strike Russia with these weapons, but whether NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict.
"If this decision is made, it will signal direct participation by NATO countries, including the U.S. and Europe, in the war in Ukraine. This will fundamentally alter the nature of the conflict," Putin said. "If that's the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face."
His remarks reflect growing concerns that the escalation could significantly heighten the global stakes of the war, potentially triggering broader geopolitical consequences.
U.K., U.S. continuing to supply Ukraine with powerful long-range missiles
The U.K. has supplied Ukraine with Storm Shadow long-range air-launched cruise missiles, which have a range of about 155 miles, or three times the range of the missiles Ukrainian forces have in their arsenals. However, in supplying the missiles, London emphasized that Kyiv is not allowed to use them to fire at targets inside Russia.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has provided Ukraine with the longest-range version of its ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles. These versions can travel nearly 200 miles. However, like the U.K., Washington has remained hesitant over allowing the firing of long-range missiles into internationally recognized Russian territory, over fears that the Kremlin could respond by deploying similar or worse weapons, such as nuclear warheads.
During his visit to Kyiv, Blinken indicated that the U.S. had "from day one" been willing to adapt its policy on how Ukraine can use U.S.-supplied arms as the situation on the battlefield changed.
Both Blinken and Lammy are reportedly conferring with their "bosses" – U.S. President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer – on whether to support amending the rules on how Ukraine uses Storm Shadow and ATACMS missiles. Biden is also likely to discuss Ukraine's use of missiles with Starmer when they meet in Washington at the end of the week.
Watch this clip of Russian President Vladimir Putin confirming that he believes Ukraine's use of long-range weapons supplied by the West indicates that NATO is entering the conflict with Russia.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
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Hungary cautions against long-range missile strikes targeting Russia.
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