Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Thursday (local time) that allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles to strike inside Russia would be seen by Moscow as NATO’s direct entry into the war.
“This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” he said.
“And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us.”
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According to the Russian president, “the Ukrainian army is not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West” without Western assistance in targeting.
The United States already does provide intelligence to Ukraine, and has previously assisted in the targeting, although not with the long-range systems currently being considered.
According to Center for New American Security Senior Fellow Dr Stacie Pettyjohn, there may also be other intelligence resources available to Ukrainian forces, including commercial satellite imagery, depending on the target.
In a press conference on Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated that, as part of continuing military assistance to Ukraine, the United States provides intelligence to Ukrainian forces, but declined to answer whether the US would increase its intelligence sharing.
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The United States first provided Ukraine with long-range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles, which have a maximum range of approximately 186 miles, in October of 2023.
Kyiv has long advocated its backers to allow the use of weapons systems that would provide a longer reach inside Russian territory.
In an interview with CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that “the airfields [Russia is] using to hit our cities are within the range of deep strikes.”
To date, Ukraine has used its existing supply of long-range ATACMS to target high-value Russian assets in occupied Crimea, including air defences, ammo depots and airfields.
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