Newsman: Russian President Vladimir Putin draws the latest red line on support for Ukraine. The Russian leader warned NATO alliance leaders that a move to lift the restrictions on use of western long-range missiles against targets inside Russia would be considered an act of war.
British Prime Minister Starmer and the US president Biden will hold talks later Friday in Washington DC to advance on decision for Kyiv to use Western long-range missiles against targets in Russia, which can reach of more than 155 miles inside Russia.
President Putin said on Thursday that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles; a move he said would alter the nature and scope of the conflict.
“This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us,” Putin told reporters.
Putin added that the Ukrainian army does not have the ability to program long-range missiles or the satellite data necessary for their targeting, relying on NATO military personnel for those tasks
The Kremlin said on Friday that Putin had delivered what it described as a clear and unambiguous message to the West which it was sure had been heard.
“Russia started this conflict,” British Prime Minister Starmer responded, speaking to journalists on board his flight en route to Washington. “Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away” media reports.
Zelensky’s government has been pressing both countries to allow the Ukrainian military to fire long-range Western weapons deep into Russian territory, after Kyiv’s surprise incursion into the Russian border region of Kursk.
Biden has signaled a new openness in allowing Ukraine to fire missiles provided by the West on targets deep inside Russia.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov suggested the meeting between Starmer and Biden was a mere formality and that a deal had already been done, vowing Russia’s reponse “will be appropriate.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters Friday that Putin’s message was “extremely clear, unambiguous and does not allow for any double readings.”
“We have no doubt that it has reached its intended recipients,” Peskov noted.
Ukrainian forces launched the first invasion of Russian territory since World War II last month, only to be met with a relatively muted response.
