Putin: Weapons release would mean NATO participation in war

The Kremlin is responding with threats to a possible Western release of weapons for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory. Russian counterattacks in Kursk, on the other hand, do not impress Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees a possible Ukrainian use of long-range Western precision weapons against targets deep on Russian territory as NATO’s involvement in the war. “This will mean that NATO countries, the USA, and European countries will fight with Russia,” the Kremlin chief said in response to a question from a journalist on state television in St. Petersburg.

Putin went on to say that this would change the nature of the war. “We will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we will face,” he said, without giving details.

Western-backed Ukraine has long been demanding that the US and Britain allow the deployment of long-range missiles in Russia’s hinterland. Its stated aim is to disrupt Russian logistics and attack air force airfields far behind the Russian-Ukrainian border.

According to official statements, the USA is limiting the use of its weapons against Russia to the defense of the Russian offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The British government has not yet commented specifically on the question of what exactly it is allowing Ukraine to do with the weapons it has made available.

Putin based his conclusions on the fact that the Ukrainian army was not capable of carrying out such strikes without outside help. “This is only possible with reconnaissance data from satellites of either the European Union or the United States, i.e. from NATO satellites,” he said. Ukraine does not have such reconnaissance equipment.

In addition, according to Putin, only NATO soldiers are capable of such operations. Therefore, the question is not whether Kiev will be allowed to use these weapons or not. “It is about whether a decision is made that NATO countries will participate directly in the military conflict or not,” said Putin.

As far as is known, the Ukrainian military only has Western missiles and cruise missiles with a maximum range of 300 kilometers. According to US information, the Russian Air Force has already stationed its aircraft outside the range of these weapons. A meeting between US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected in Washington on Friday to discuss the release of weapons.

The British Prime Minister, meanwhile, rejected Putin’s claim that releasing long-range weapons for attacks in the Russian hinterland would be tantamount to NATO’s involvement in the war. Britain does not want a conflict with Russia, said Starmer on the way to Washington. “Ukraine has a right to self-defence,” and Britain fully supports this right and offers training opportunities in this context. “But we are not looking for a conflict with Russia – that is not our intention in the slightest,” stressed the British Prime Minister.

“I want to make sure tomorrow that these discussions, the tactical discussions, are put into the right strategic context of the situation in Ukraine,” Starmer said.

Meanwhile, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the United States is prepared to adjust military support for Ukraine as needed. Blinken was asked at a press conference in Warsaw whether the Americans had now given Ukraine the green light to attack targets inside Russia with Western weapons. He replied: “I can tell you that we will continue to do exactly what we have been doing so far: We will readjust, we will adapt if necessary, including with regard to the means available to Ukraine.”

His Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski called on the Western allies to “lift restrictions on the use of long-range weapons”.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed reports that Russian troops have begun counterattacks in the Kursk border region. “Everything is going according to our Ukrainian plan,” he assured at a press conference with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Kiev. According to reports from Russia, almost a dozen places in the Russian territory have been recaptured. At the same time, Ukrainian units have tried to gain ground.

At the beginning of August, Ukrainian troops advanced into Russian territory and, according to their own statements, within a very short time brought a good 1,300 square kilometers and about 100 villages, including the small town of Sudzha, under their control.