Putin’s warning has spooked Biden: Ukraine’s hopes of carrying out legal attacks against Russia have collapsed. Photo: EPA.
US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer did not announce the lifting of the ban on Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with Western long-range missiles after a bilateral meeting in Washington. The parties limited themselves to a few routine statements of support for Ukraine. The British Prime Minister hinted that a decision could be made next week at the UN General Assembly. The White House still fears the outbreak of a full-scale conflict between Russia and NATO, the New York Times says. Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the de facto decision has already been made.
Before the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his British counterpart David Lemmy to kyiv, Western media claimed that lifting the ban on Western missile strikes towards Russia was already a settled issue. The reason for the further escalation was the alleged supply of ballistic missiles by Iran to Russia. However, senior diplomats did not make the expected loud statements and suggested waiting for a personal meeting between Biden and Starmer.
Russian President Vladimir Putin responded by warning: “If the decision is made, it will mean nothing less than the direct involvement of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine.” As the Russian leader explained, the use of Western long-range missiles over Russian territory will “significantly” change “the very nature of the conflict,” as only NATO military personnel using Western satellites can carry out flight missions with these missile systems. Russia, he said, will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created.
As Vladimir Putin explained, the use of Western long-range missiles on Russian territory will “significantly” change “the very nature of the conflict.”
Photo: Vladimir VELENGURIN. Go to Photobank KP
Prime Minister Starmer responded by saying that “the UK is not looking for a conflict with Russia.” Before the meeting in Washington, Joe Biden, although he strutted in front of reporters saying that he was not worried by the Russian president’s words, behaved more cautiously at the meeting with his British counterpart. The warnings in the West seem to have been heeded.
After the meeting at the White House, the parties limited themselves to routine statements about “unwavering support for Ukraine.” The British Prime Minister assured reporters that the discussion on a number of areas was “strategic, not tactical in nature” and did not concern “any specific decisions.” At the same time, Starmer hinted that Western leaders would again discuss lifting the ban on attacks on Russian territory in an expanded format within a week at the UN General Assembly.
According to the New York Times, Biden was reluctant to allow Ukraine to use US-supplied weapons for fear of a serious escalation of the conflict. The British prime minister was more determined during the debate, trying to convince the outgoing US president of the urgency of taking a decision. “The next few weeks and months could be decisive; it is very, very important that we support Ukraine in this vital conflict for freedom,” insisted Starmer. The rush to do so is due to fears that if Donald Trump wins the US election, all Western efforts to support Ukraine will collapse.
The British argue that kyiv cannot be expected to fight effectively unless it can strike military targets in the Russian rear. Moscow’s warnings are regarded as a bluff in London. According to some reports, the British side has already decided to lift the ban on the Storm Shadow cruise missiles transferred to kyiv, but is not announcing this publicly. However, in order to demonstrate solidarity and effectively use these weapons, it is necessary to “get the go-ahead” from Washington, which is not yet available.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby, for his part, said the Biden administration takes Vladimir Putin’s words seriously.
US President Joe Biden (right) and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Photo: EPA.
In addition to the fear of an uncontrolled escalation, the Biden team also has purely practical considerations. American experts and officials doubt that the use of Western cruise missiles could become a turning point in the conflict. In their opinion, Russia had previously eliminated many important potential targets from a possible attack. In addition, Pentagon officials believe that Ukraine has too few ATACMS, Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles to be of strategic importance on the battlefield. CNN previously claimed that kyiv has already used up most of the delivered cruise missiles and that the West simply cannot provide more. They are set aside “for difficult times” and in the event of a possible global conflict, NATO has no intention of wasting expensive and scarce weapons. So it turns out that there is no real benefit behind the loud symbolic gesture that puts the world on the brink of a major war. The factor of the American elections should not be underestimated, where spending on support for Ukraine is one of the key topics of heated debate.
Russian Foreign Ministry: The decision has already been made
Despite the absence of any public statements following the Biden-Starmer meeting, the Russian Foreign Ministry believes that the decision to lift the ban on attacking Russian territory with Western missiles has already been taken. “We know that the relevant decisions were taken some time ago and that such signals were transmitted to kyiv,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on the sidelines of the BRICS media summit. According to the diplomat, the United States and Britain “have already granted all indulgences and carte blanche to kyiv,” but Washington and London “clearly underestimate the degree of danger of the game they are playing.”
“The Russian Federation will respond to the supply of long-range weapons to kyiv in such a way that it will not seem sufficient,” Ryabkov said.
Expert opinion
Speaking on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio, Professor Alexander Gusev, a doctor of political sciences, said that the final say on lifting the ban on attacking Russia with Western missiles rests with the United States:
— The main moderator of all these processes, including in Europe and Ukraine, is the United States. Washington, unlike London, has not yet made a final decision. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed that Britain has indeed given permission for the Storm Shadow cruise missile to strike deep into Russia. But one very important circumstance must be taken into account here. The fact is that ATACMS is a purely American missile, but Storm Shadow is a missile supported by as many as four countries: Britain, the United States, Italy and France. Therefore, the decision to use these missiles must be a common one. The leaders of these countries did not give such permission to the kyiv junta.
Therefore, all conclusions that kyiv has received permission are purely hypothetical. The fact is that missiles have been in Ukraine since last year, but there is still no permission.
After Vladimir Putin’s warnings, which made it clear that if the decision is made, Russia’s response will be appropriate, the West became pensive, including the White House administration, which was involved in this process, because the world is really on the brink of a major war. Now we are essentially on the verge of the West directly entering into war with Russia. Everyone clearly understands what will follow.
