President Vladimir Putin said the United States, its Western allies and NATO will be at war with Russia if they allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets deep inside the country, a threat the Kremlin reemphasized on Friday as "very clear," according to reports.
The Russian leader's saber-rattling comes as President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet at the White House on Friday where they are expected to discuss easing the restrictions to let Kyiv use the weapons to attack Russian territory.
"This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us," Putin told reporters on Thursday, CNN reported.
The Kremlin on Friday said deploying the weapons would alter the nature of the war Russia began when it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
"The statement made by President Putin yesterday is very important. It is extremely clear, unambiguous and does not allow for double readings. We have no doubt that this statement reached those it was intended for," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, Reuters reported.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pleading with the United States and European nations to approve its use of Western missiles like the U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows to strike targets farther inside Russia to hinder Moscow's ability to launch attacks.
So far, Ukraine has been given the go-ahead to use American-made weapons only in cross-border attacks to keep from escalating the war.
But President Joe Biden said there may be a change to that strategy soon.
Asked this week about easing the restrictions, Biden told reporters: "We're working that out now."
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, at a joint news conference Thursday in Warsaw with Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, was also questioned about giving Ukraine the green light to use long-range weapons.
Blinken said the U.S. has been ensuring that Ukraine has what's necessary to defend itself against Russia.
"And I can tell you that as we go forward, we will do exactly what we have already done, which is we will adjust, we'll adapt as necessary, including with regard to the means that are at Ukraine's disposal to effectively defend against the Russian aggression," he said, according to a transcript from the State Department.
Meanwhile, Russia's security service said it had revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow, accusing them of spying and sabotage, Reuters reported.
Britain called the allegations "completely baseless."
Moscow announced the expulsions hours before the meeting between Biden and Starmer.
