Russian President Issues New Warning to NATO

Putin’s warning came on September 12 as the West sent Ukraine long-range missiles such as Storm Shadows and Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), which it used to attack Crimea and Donbass. However, in recent days, the US and the UK have been considering allowing these weapons to be used to strike targets deeper into Russian territory.

In response, Mr. Putin said: “We are not talking about allowing or prohibiting Ukraine from attacking Russian territory. They have already done so, using drones and other means.”

According to Mr. Putin, Ukraine is not capable of using Western long-range systems and he noted that these attacks must have been conducted with intelligence from NATO satellites. He also said that only NATO personnel could use these weapons to attack Russian targets.

“If they decide to do so, what will it mean for NATO countries, the United States and European countries to be directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine? Their direct involvement will of course significantly change the nature of the conflict… Russia will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we face,” the Russian president asserted.

Previously, the US and its allies imposed a ban on Ukraine using Western long-range weapons to attack Russian territory with the aim of affirming that they were not directly involved in the conflict with Russia. Since May, Ukraine has called on Western countries to lift this ban.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary David Lammy made statements suggesting that the sanctions could be lifted this week, citing allegations that Russia had received ballistic missiles from Iran. Iran has denied sending missiles to Russia, calling the allegations “psychological warfare” by countries that are deeply involved in arming Ukraine.

President Putin has warned NATO members to be cautious when discussing plans to allow Ukraine to strike deep inside Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons. Speaking to major news outlets on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in June, the Russian president vowed to respond by shooting down those weapons and then retaliating against those responsible. One of the responses Putin mentioned at the time was arming Western enemies with long-range precision weapons.

Other Russian officials have also commented on the possibility of the West allowing Ukraine to use long-range weapons to attack Russia. On September 12, Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Information Policy and Cooperation with the Media Alexei Pushkov said that this could happen in the next few days. On his Telegram channel, Mr. Pushkov said: "The information leak through The Guardian is not accidental, public opinion is being manipulated." Previously, The Guardian reported that the British government had decided to allow Ukraine to use Storm Shadow missiles to attack targets in Russia, but had not yet officially announced it.

On September 11, it was also reported that US President Joe Biden announced that the Washington administration was working to lift the ban on Ukraine using US weapons to attack deep inside Russian territory. When asked by reporters about Russia's reaction to the move, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied: "It will be proportionate," after assessing that Washington seemed to have chosen to proceed with such a decision. He also affirmed that Russia's offensive in Ukraine was a response to the West's policy of supporting Kiev.

On the same day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov announced that Moscow would destroy any new batch of long-range ATACMS missiles that the US transfers to Ukraine. According to him, Washington's potential decision to allow Kiev to strike deep inside Russian territory with such missiles is increasing the danger and risk.