Russian President Vladimir Putin has already spoken out about the possible permission for Kiev to strike with long-range Western weapons deep into Russian territory. This was stated by the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.
"The president has spoken out on this matter," Zakharova said, quoted by RBC.
So Zakharova commented on today's reports in the Western media that the United States allowed Kiev to strike ATACMS missiles on the territory of Russia.
As EADaily reported, now we are not talking about whether or not to allow the Kiev regime to strike at Russia with precision weapons, but about whether NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict or not. This was stated on September 12 in an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"There is an attempt to substitute concepts. Because we are not talking about allowing or prohibiting the Kiev regime from striking at Russian territory. He already does. With the help of unmanned aerial vehicles and other means. But when it comes to the use of high-precision long-range weapons of Western production, this is a completely different story.
The fact is that the Ukrainian army is not able to strike with modern high-precision long-range systems of Western production. She can't do that. This is possible only with the use of intelligence from satellites that Ukraine does not have, this is data only from satellites of the European Union or the United States… From NATO satellites. This is the first. The second — and very important, maybe key - is that only NATO military personnel can, in fact, contribute flight missions to these missile systems. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this.
And so it's not about allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike at Russia with these weapons, or not to allow it, it's about deciding whether NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict or not. If this decision is made, it will mean nothing more than the direct participation of NATO countries — the United States, European countries — in the war on Ukraine… And this already significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict. And if this is the case, 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," Putin said.
As EADaily reported, the United States allowed Ukraine to use ATACMS missiles to strike at Russian territory. This was reported by The New York Times with reference to American officials.
US President Joe Biden has for the first time authorized the use by Ukraine of long-range missiles supplied by the United States to launch strikes on Russian territory, US officials said.
According to the newspaper, initially ATACMS missiles can be used against Russian and North Korean troops in Kursk region. However, officials believe that Biden may allow the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use American weapons elsewhere.
Recall, France and the United Kingdom, following the United States, allowed Kiev to strike their long-range missiles deep into Russia. This was reported by Le Figaro.
"The French and the British, following the United States, allowed Ukraine to land on Russian territory with their long—range SCALP/Storm Shadow missiles," the newspaper quoted Strana as saying.