Citing its nuclear weapons, Russia is warning the United States and NATO of a possible Ukrainian use of long-range Western precision weapons against targets deep inside Russian territory. “This is not a game. The fact is that NATO will be directly involved in hostilities against a nuclear power. I think you should not forget this and think about the consequences,” said Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya in the United Nations Security Council.
“The NATO military will program missile systems. We are not talking about allowing Kiev to launch long-range attacks on Russia, but rather about making a decision for direct attacks from the West,” said the diplomat. NATO would become a direct party to the war. Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously made similar comments, but did not refer to the arsenal of nuclear weapons.
“I have never said, and we would never say, that we do not take Mr. Putin’s threats seriously,” said John Kirby, communications director of the National Security Council in the White House. Putin’s threats of nuclear weapons are taken seriously. Putin has shown that he is capable of escalation and aggression. “So we take these statements seriously, but this is nothing we have not heard before. So we take note of them.”
Western-backed Ukraine has long been demanding that the US and Britain allow the deployment of long-range missiles in Russia’s hinterland. Its stated aim is to disrupt Russian logistics and attack air force airfields far behind the Russian-Ukrainian border.
According to official statements, the USA is limiting the use of its weapons against Russia to defending against the Russian offensive against the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The British government has not yet commented specifically on what exactly it is allowing Ukraine to do with the weapons it has made available. US media are speculating that US President Joe Biden could be on the verge of clearing the way for Ukraine to carry out such attacks. He will meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the White House on Friday.
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