Putin warns Ukraine use of long-range arms will put NATO at war with Russia

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy has urged allies to assistance restrictions connected Western-supplied arms to onslaught heavy wrong Russia.

President Vladimir Putin has warned that if Western nations let Ukraine to usage long-range weapons to onslaught wrong Russia past it volition mean NATO would beryllium “at war” with his country.

“This would successful a important mode alteration the precise quality of the conflict. It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are astatine warfare with Russia,” Putin told Russian authorities TV connected Thursday.

“And if this is so, then, bearing successful caput the alteration successful the precise essence of this conflict, we volition marque due decisions based connected the threats that volition beryllium created for us,” helium said.

His comments travel up of a gathering successful Washington, DC, connected Friday betwixt British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden, who are expected to sermon giving Ukraine the go-ahead to onslaught targets wrong Russia amid mounting concerns implicit its losses connected the battlefield.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for restrictions connected Western-supplied, long-range weapons to beryllium lifted truthful his forces tin people airfields, ammunition depots and bid centres heavy wrong Russia, besides expanding the costs of the penetration for Moscow.

Speaking to reporters en way to the US, Starmer said, “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia tin extremity this struggle consecutive away. Ukraine has the close to self-defence”, according to British media reports.

It volition apt beryllium the past gathering betwixt the US and British leaders earlier Biden leaves bureau and up of the US statesmanlike predetermination successful November that volition pit Democrat Kamala Harris against Republican Donald Trump.

Trump repeatedly refused to instrumentality sides connected the war, which started with Russia’s full-scale penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, during a debate with Harris this week, saying only: “I privation the warfare to stop.”

Biden said helium was “working” connected Ukraine’s request arsenic US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy made a uncommon associated sojourn to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, wherever they announced $1.5bn successful further aid.

Blinken wrapped up a three-nation, Ukraine-focused European circuit successful Poland connected Thursday aft proceeding repeated appeals from Ukrainian officials to usage Western-supplied weaponry for long-range strikes wrong Russia.

“As what Russia’s doing has changed, arsenic the battlefield has changed, we’ve adapted,” Blinken said astatine a quality league successful Warsaw.

Biden has allowed Ukraine to occurrence US-provided missiles crossed the borderline into Russia successful self-defence but has mostly constricted the region they tin beryllium fired.

One of the cardinal requests from Ukraine is to onslaught with US-produced Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).

But the Pentagon has said they wouldn’t beryllium the reply to the main menace Ukraine faces from long-range Russian glide bombs, which are being fired from much than 300km (186 miles) away, beyond the ATACMS reach.

On Friday, Donald Tusk, the premier curate of NATO subordinate Poland, which shares a borderline with Ukraine, said helium was not disquieted by Putin’s comments.

“It is indispensable to instrumentality each events successful Ukraine and connected the Ukrainian-Russian beforehand precise seriously, but I would not connect excessive value to the latest statements from President Putin,” Tusk told a quality conference.

“They alternatively amusement the hard concern the Russians person connected the front.”

Polish Foreign Minister Radowslaw Sikorski had antecedently said Kyiv should beryllium allowed to usage Western weapons successful self-defence due to the fact that “Russia is committing warfare crimes by attacking civilian targets”.

“Missiles that deed these civilian targets are fired from bomber craft from implicit the territory of Russia. These bombers instrumentality disconnected from airfields connected Russia’s territory,” Sikorski said.

Russian forces person ramped up unit connected the battlefield successful eastbound Ukraine’s Donetsk portion and accrued aerial attacks crossed the country.

Ukraine was pressing connected with attacks successful occidental Russia’s Kursk portion pursuing its astonishment cross-border incursion connected August 6, but Zelenskyy confirmed connected Thursday that Moscow’s troops were mounting a counteroffensive.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies