Russian Lawmaker Cautions the West on Long-Range Missile Supplies to Ukraine, Reports Reuters

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia has stated that it will regard the United States and its allies as parties to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. A senior lawmaker indicated that Moscow may resort to using more powerful weapons if the West permits Ukraine to deploy long-range strikes into Russian territory.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s Duma, communicated this position via a message on Telegram. He claimed that the U.S., along with Germany, France, and Britain, are increasingly becoming involved in the war.

Volodin made a strong declaration: "All this will lead to the fact that our country will be forced to respond using more powerful and destructive weapons to protect its citizens."

In the United States, President Joe Biden mentioned that his administration is currently assessing whether to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s ability to use long-range weaponry in the conflict.

Reports indicated that the U.S. is nearing an agreement to provide such capabilities to Ukraine; however, delays might occur as technical issues are resolved before any equipment is shipped.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken remarked that Iran had delivered ballistic missiles to Russia, describing this development as a "dramatic escalation." Tehran, on the other hand, dismissed the allegations as "ugly propaganda."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been advocating for Western support in the form of longer-range missiles, urging allies to remove limitations on their use for targeting military installations in Russia.

In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that he could position conventional missiles capable of striking American and European targets if Ukraine is allowed to launch deeper strikes within Russia using long-range Western armaments.

The eastern Ukraine conflict began in 2014 when a pro-Russian president was ousted during Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, leading to Russia’s annexation of Crimea. This conflict has seen Russian-backed separatists engage in combat with Ukrainian forces.

The situation escalated dramatically in 2022 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, creating the most significant confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War era.

Putin frames the conflict as part of a broader existential struggle against a West he perceives as declining and decadent, claiming that it has historically humiliated Russia, particularly after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by infringing upon what he considers Moscow’s sphere of influence, including Ukraine.

In contrast, both the West and Ukraine categorize the invasion as an act of imperial aggression by Putin, committing to defeating Russia on the battlefield.