Putin: West risks war with Russia if Ukraine gets long-range weapons approval
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Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech on Sept. 12 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that the U.S. and its allies would be at war Russia if they allow Ukraine to launch long-range Western weapons into Russia.
Why it matters: Putin's warning comes ahead of a bilateral meeting between President Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday, during which the pair are expected to discuss the issue.
- Ahead of the meeting, Russia also announced Friday that it had expelled six British diplomats from the country after accusing them of espionage, TASS reported.
Driving the news: Lifting the restrictions on long-range weapons use would change "the very essence of the conflict," Putin told reporters Thursday, Russian state news agency TASS reported.
- "This will mean that NATO countries, the United States, European countries are fighting Russia. And if this is the case, then ... we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us," he said.
- Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Putin's remarks were "extremely clear" and that his warning had reached its intended audience, per TASS.
State of play: For much of the war, the U.S. and Western allies barred Ukraine from using the weapons they provided to carry out offensive strikes inside Russia.
- However, in May, they reversed course, though the U.S. kept a restriction on long-range strikes in place. Up until then, Ukrainian strikes inside Russia were carried out using Ukrainian-made weapons.
- "We're working that out right now," Biden said earlier this week when asked about possibly loosening restrictions, CNN reported.
- "We don't have anything to announce at this time," a State Department spokesperson told Axios this week when asked about lifting the restrictions on ATACMS.
Zoom in: The U.K. has signaled to the Biden administration that it hopes to allow Ukraine to use its long-range missiles to strike military targets inside Russia.
- It wants to coordinate a strategy with the U.S. and France, the New York Times reported.
The big picture: Ukraine — facing its third winter of war — is struggling to hold off Russian advances along the front lines and maintain its risky incursion into Russia.
- Russia has exploited the West's restrictions on long-range weapons use by organizing troops and equipment near Ukraine's border but out of range of more traditional weapons, according to the Institute for the Study of War.
- Lifting the restriction would help Ukraine counter that advantage.
Go deeper: Putin scrambles as Ukraine claims more territory inside Russia
