On Sunday, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed hope that the West had “heard” his warning about the risks of a direct conflict with NATO should it permit Ukraine to deploy long-range weaponry against Russia.
Putin first issued this warning in September, after Britain and the United States considered allowing Kyiv to strike Russian targets with long-range arms, suggesting that this would place NATO “at war” with Moscow.
“They didn’t directly address it with me, but I hope they listened,” Putin told a state TV reporter when asked if the West had heeded his caution.
He added, “Ukrainian forces cannot operate these weapons independently. Only NATO specialists could handle them, as they require space intelligence, which Ukraine naturally lacks.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been urging his Western allies for months to authorize long-range strikes deep within Russian territory, arguing that such actions would push Moscow toward seeking peace.
Last month, Western officials hinted that a decision was nearing, but both British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Joe Biden later delayed it following Moscow’s grave warnings.
Biden downplayed Putin’s threat, with U.S. officials suggesting that the missiles would likely have only a limited impact on Ukraine’s military efforts.
