Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a stern warning, stating that if NATO permits Ukraine to utilize longer-range missiles to conduct strikes within Russian borders, Moscow would interpret this as a direct engagement of the alliance in the ongoing conflict.
Putin’s remarks surfaced as Western and US diplomats increasingly consider easing restrictions on Ukraine’s use of American-supplied long-range weaponry, which Kyiv has been actively advocating for since Russia’s invasion began over two years ago.
“This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin emphasized to reporters on Thursday.
He further warned that if this occurs, the nature of the conflict would shift, prompting Moscow to “make appropriate decisions in response to the threats” posed to Russia.
While the United States has gradually relaxed its policy to allow limited strikes into Russian territory using US-provided weapons, President Joe Biden’s administration has yet to approve longer-range strikes.
US officials have expressed concern that permitting Ukraine to conduct deep strikes within Russia could provoke an escalation and further accusations from Moscow of American involvement in the war.
A US official told CNN onTuesday that intelligence suggests Russia has relocated several of its military assets to areas beyond the reach of Ukraine’s current long-range strike capabilities.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during a recent visit to Kyiv, hinted that the White House might reconsider its position on lifting the restrictions, acknowledging the evolving nature of the battlefield.
“From day one, as you heard me say, we have adjusted and adapted as needs have changed, as the battlefield has changed, and I have no doubt that we’ll continue to do that as this evolves,” Blinken stated while appearing alongside Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha and UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy.
Blinken revealed that he discussed the issue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and would report back to President Biden.
At home, Biden is under pressure from lawmakers across the political spectrum to ease the restrictions, particularly as Ukraine grapples with the challenges of solidifying its territorial gains.
On Tuesday, the bipartisan congressional Ukraine caucus urged the president to allow Kyiv to strike targets within Russia using long-range weapons.
A group of key Republicans in the House also penned a letter to Biden ahead of Blinken’s visit to Ukraine, echoing Zelensky’s requests for more flexibility with long-range strikes.
Putin also expressed skepticism over Ukraine’s ability to independently carry out such strikes, claiming, “the Ukrainian army is not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West” without NATO’s assistance in targeting.
Although the US currently provides intelligence support to Ukraine, there are indications that Kyiv might have access to additional resources, such as commercial satellite imagery, depending on the specific targets, according to Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn, a Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security.
When asked whether the US would enhance its intelligence sharing, Blinken reiterated during Thursday’s press conference that intelligence support is part of the ongoing military aid to Ukraine, but he declined to disclose further details.
In October 2023, the US supplied Ukraine with Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which have a maximum range of 180 miles (290 kilometers). Since then, Kyiv has persistently urged its Western allies to permit the use of more advanced systems capable of deeper strikes within Russian territory.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, in an interview with CNN’s Alex Marquardt, stressed that “the airfields [Russia is] using to hit our cities are within the range of deep strikes.” To date, Ukraine has targeted Russian assets in occupied Crimea, including air defenses and ammunition depots, using its existing ATACMS supply.
Former US Ambassador William Courtney, now a senior fellow at the RAND Corporation, suggested that if NATO were to greenlight the use of long-range weapons, these systems could be employed to neutralize close-range ballistic missile systems recently delivered to Russia by Iran.
Courtney noted that with a range of just 75 miles, US-made ATACMS could strike such targets “at that distance and well beyond.”
