Permission to strike Russia: Putin threatens Britain and the US with war

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has warned Britain and the US that they will "go to war" with Russia if they allow Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike targets in his country.

According to The Times, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden discuss regarding allowing Ukraine to fire Storm Shadow missiles at Russia. Putin, meanwhile, stressed on Russian state television that the move would "significantly change the very nature of the conflict," forcing Moscow to respond. "This would mean that NATO countries are in a state of war with Russia. We will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we face," he said.

At the same time, Starmer resolutely rejected Putin's accusations, recalling Ukraine's right to self-defense.

"Russia started this conflict. Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. Russia can end this conflict immediately. Ukraine has a right to self-defense, and obviously we have been absolutely supportive of Ukraine's right to self-defense by providing training opportunities. But we do not want any conflict with Russia, that is not even our intention. But they started this conflict, and Ukraine has a right to self-defense," he explained the position of the allies.

While the US may give the green light for Storm Shadow and its French equivalent Scalp, this may not include the US ATACMS ballistic missiles amid concerns about Putin's possible reaction. British hope that authorizing strikes will give Zelensky an edge in bringing Putin to the negotiating table. That and the possibility of Ukraine agreeing to peace in exchange for some territory are likely to be among the topics of discussion at the White House.

One Ukrainian military source criticized the idea of these ongoing discussions and the prospect of Biden allowing only certain long-range weapons to be used in Russia.

"I think this war cannot be won or stopped with half measures. Every day costs us several human lives and destruction, and we always beg for obvious things that are necessary for our survival. It is unfair to buy time with human lives," the source said indignantly.

There are good reasons to believe that the US and UK are ready to lift restrictions on Ukraine's use of long-range missiles against targets in Russia within a few days. In particular, we are talking about Storm Shadow missiles . The BBC described the impact these missiles could have on the course of the war.