Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said on Thursday (12) that the Kremlin will consider NATO countries to be at direct war with Moscow if they authorize Ukraine to use long-range weapons supplied by them to attack more distant targets within Russian territory.
Diplomats from the United States and the United Kingdom are discussing this easing, and analysts project that it should be authorized by the end of the week.
“This would significantly change the very nature of the conflict,” Putin said in an interview with state television, in remarks reported by The Moscow Times.
“This would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, will be at war with Russia,” the Russian dictator alleged.
“If that is the case, then, taking into account the changing nature of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we will face,” Putin said, adding that the easing “is a decision about whether NATO countries will be directly involved in the military conflict or not.”
Kiev has been urging its allies to lift restrictions that prevent Ukraine from bombing Russia with Western long-range weapons to hit targets further inside Russian territory.
According to sources heard by the English newspaper The Guardian, Kiev’s understanding is that Russia will only consider negotiating a ceasefire if it believes that Ukraine has the capacity to “threaten Moscow and St. Petersburg”.