Putin warns Ukraine use of long-range arms will put NATO at war with Russia

President Vladimir Putin has said that Russia would regard Western missiles being fired into its territory as a serious escalation of the war [File: Prokofyev/AFP]

President Vladimir Putin has warned that if Western nations allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike inside Russia then it will mean NATO would be “at war” with his country.

“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict. It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” Putin told Russian state TV on Thursday.