Putin says not so fast… First, here’s a UK Times report within the last hour:
Putin Vows ‘Mirror Measures’ After US Plans Long-Range Missiles For GermanyBritain and the United States are on the verge of allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against targets in Russia after accusing President Putin of “escalating” the conflict by accepting ballistic missiles from Iran.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, and Anthony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said they would return to their respective countries to inform their leaders of the “operational details” surrounding Ukraine’s use of weapons such as Storm Shadow missiles after meeting President Zelensky in Kyiv.
Blinken promised to work quickly on Ukraine’s requests to ease the restrictions, saying he would take what he had learnt “back to President Biden.” —Putin escalating conflict, say western allies as missile approval moves closer
President Putin is currently speaking at the St. Petersburg International United Cultures Forum, which addresses current events related to Russia. He issued the following red line while speaking to a reporter on the sidelines of the conference Thursday:
Putin says long-range arms for Kyiv would mean ‘NATO countries at war with Russia’
Below is the breaking AFP note:
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that the West giving Kyiv a green-light to use longer-range weapons to strike Russian targets would mean NATO will be “at war” with Russia.
“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict… It would mean that NATO countries are at war with Russia,” Putin told a state television reporter.
Just prior to this warning, Russian Senator Aleksey Pushkov wrote on Telegram in response to the UK prepping more, longer-range Storm Shadow missiles for Ukraine, “The decision to strike Russian territory is clearly being prepared.”
The White House is ready to green-light use of American missiles to strike targets deep inside of Russia. The Russians have many ways to retaliate. Why are we taking this risk? Ukraine is neither a treaty ally nor a vital interest. Biden himself once warned this could cause WW3. pic.twitter.com/osae4nPhu5
— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) September 11, 2024
The Russian lawmaker continued, “There are too many conversations and hints about it for it to be reversed. Even if it has not been made yet, it looks like it will be a matter of days. The leak via The Guardian is not accidental. Public opinion is being prepared.”
