Listen to Putin on Ukraine – Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – The Kremlin reiterated on Tuesday the significance of President Vladimir Putin’s warning that if the West permits Ukraine to use Western-made long-range missiles to strike Russian territory, it would lead to a direct confrontation between the West and Russia.

This statement was made during a conference call when officials were asked whether allowing such strikes would influence Moscow’s stance on nuclear testing. Russia’s representative on arms control emphasized on Monday that the country would not resume nuclear tests as long as the United States remains committed to its own testing moratorium. This came amid speculation that the Kremlin might be reconsidering its post-Soviet era ban on nuclear tests.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov urged people to revisit the president’s remarks about Western weapon usage deep within Russian territory, reiterating that the Russian Federation’s position on this matter is clearly articulated.

Speaking in St. Petersburg on September 12, Putin remarked that this decision on missiles would signify the direct involvement of NATO, the United States, and European nations in the conflict in Ukraine, substantially altering the nature of the war.

Putin asserted that, should this scenario unfold, Russia would have to respond with "appropriate decisions" in light of these new threats. While he did not specify what these responses might entail, he previously mentioned the possibility of supplying adversaries of the West with Russian arms to target Western locations. In June, he also discussed the deployment of conventional missiles that could reach the U.S. and its European allies.

As the world’s largest nuclear power, Russia is in the midst of revising its nuclear doctrine, which outlines the conditions under which it would consider utilizing nuclear weapons.

In remarks made in June, Putin indicated that the West was mistaken to believe Russia would not resort to nuclear weapons, asserting that its nuclear strategy should not be underestimated.