Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a stern warning to the U.S. and its NATO allies this week, stating that they risk being “at war” with Moscow if they remove restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pushing for months to lift all restrictions on Kyiv’s use of Western-supplied long-range weapons, allowing Ukraine to strike military targets deep within Russia.
But on Thursday, Putin drew a red line, declaring, “This will mean that NATO countries, the U.S. and European countries are at war with Russia.”
“And if this is so, then, bearing in mind the change in the very essence of this conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us,” he added, according to .
These comments came a day before talks at the White House where President Biden will meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss lifting the current strike bans on Friday.
Putin did not specify what actions Russia would take against the West should Washington and London lift their strike restrictions, but the Kremlin chief has repeatedly used this tactic in his war strategy to deter Western aid for Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the war, Putin has warned NATO against supplying Kyiv with lethal aid, and at nearly every step, he has warned that the war could spread beyond Ukraine’s borders. This strategy, according to one expert, has achieved its intended effect on Washington.
“Putin’s war in Ukraine has been a massive failure – hundreds of thousands of casualties, a brain drain, a million Russians have fled, Sweden and Finland are now NATO members, the list goes on,” former CIA Moscow station chief Dan Hoffman told Digital. “The only thing he succeeded at is rhetorical nuclear brinkmanship and other threats, trying to induce the Biden administration not to give Ukraine what they need, when they need it, to defend themselves.”
Hoffman said Putin’s remarks were likely aimed at President Biden and his administration, which has repeatedly been slow to provide Ukraine with crucial weaponry like tanks, F-16s, and long-range ATACMS missiles before eventually reversing course and agreeing to send the requested weapons.
“He makes these threats because he knows they work,” Hoffman argued. “We shouldn’t be micromanaging how [Ukrainians] conduct their war.
“Just give them the weapons. They have every lawful right to defend themselves,” he added.
Defense officials on both sides of the political aisle have argued that the U.S. and NATO should arm Kyiv in its war against Russia, as many believe Putin will not stop his deadly ambitions in Europe if he gains a victory in Ukraine.
It remains to be seen whether Putin will actually escalate the war beyond Russia and Ukraine’s borders if Biden and Starmer agree on Friday to lift strike bans.
Russian officials have been drawing “red lines” since 2022, along with issuing warnings that the U.S. would become “a party to the conflict” by providing Ukraine with defensive aid.
Starmer responded to Putin’s apparent threat while aboard his flight to D.C. on Thursday and told a , “Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict straight away. Ukraine has the right to self-defense.”