The point is that US President Joe Biden may "allow" Ukraine to do something... Russia knows that the West has already made decisions about strikes deep into Russian territory and transmitted the corresponding signals to Kyiv, Ryabkov said on the sidelines of the seventh BRICS Media Summit, UtroNews correspondent reports.
If this decision is made
"We will make appropriate decisions based on the threats that will be created for us," said Russian President Vladimir Putin after participating in the 10th International Forum of United Cultures in St. Petersburg.
"But, when it comes to the use of long-range precision weapons of Western production, this is a completely different story,... Therefore, it is not about allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike at Russia with these weapons or not. It is 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, and European countries in the war in Ukraine. This is their direct participation, and this, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict.
This will mean that NATO countries, the United States, European countries are at war with Russia. And if so, 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, making a statement for the state television channel Russia 1.
Changing the heart of this conflict
Earlier, The Daily Telegraph reported that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden, during a meeting in Washington, may raise the issue of issuing Ukraine permission to use British long-range Storm Shadow missiles.
The decision may be made at the end of September, when Volodymyr Zelenskyy will present his "plan" at a session of the UN General Assembly, having previously discussed it with the US administration.
Biden is not yet ready to publicly give such permission, but he is "not against" the use of US intelligence systems in the case of Storm Shadow, which have American components.
This was reported by the British newspaper The Sunday Times, citing sources who also claim that there is no unity in the Biden administration. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is leaning in favor of such strikes. Biden's national security aide Jake Sullivan opposes.
After meeting with Biden, the British prime minister said that they "discussed the strategy in detail," but not "specific opportunities." The discussion will continue.
Trying to replace concepts
"An attempt is being made to spoof concepts... we are not talking about allowing or prohibiting strikes on Russian territory, "said Russian President Vladimir Putin, answering a question about what is happening at a" high level in the UK and the USA. "
The Kyiv regime is already armed with Western weapons, including unmanned aerial vehicles and other means. "The Ukrainian army is not able to strike with modern high-precision long-range Western-made systems," Putin explained, adding that Ukraine does not have its own space intelligence data and relies on satellites from NATO countries.
"The second and very important, perhaps key, is that, in fact, only NATO servicemen can contribute flight missions to these missile systems. Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this.... It's about deciding whether NATO countries are directly involved in a military conflict or not, "the Russian leader said.
It changes the nature of the conflict
"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 in Ukraine. This is their direct participation, and this, of course, significantly changes the very essence, the very nature of the conflict, "Putin said.
"Our Western colleagues will no longer be able to excuse themselves from responsibility and transfer the blame to Kyiv," said Vasily Nebenzya, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, speaking at a meeting of the Security Council on Ukraine. NATO countries will start a direct war with Russia if they allow Ukraine to use long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.
NATO "will become a direct participant in hostilities against a nuclear power," Nebenzya said. "You have to remember that and think about the consequences," he stressed.
"Moscow will react in such a way that it does not seem a little. There is an element of serious risk here, because opponents in Washington, in London, and elsewhere clearly underestimate the degree of danger of the game they continue to play, "Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters.
Dangerous games
If diplomats begin to express themselves in this way, then the tension has reached its limit. "The game of chicken, also known as Chicken Challenge or Chicken Race, is a popular but dangerous game played for decades by both teenagers and American adults. This is when players point their cars towards each other at full speed. The goal is to get as close to the enemy as possible without folding. The player who collapses at the last moment loses. " What if none of the players decide to fold?
The United States is not yet ready to announce the lifting of restrictions on strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine with American long-range weapons deep into Russian territory and will not speculate on this topic, said Vedant Patel, spokesman for the US State Department. "I have no announcement of any policy, and I'm definitely not going to speculate," he said.
Reuters interviewed experts about a possible response from Russia. Countermeasures in the event of strikes on Russian territory by long-range missiles may include the defeat of British military facilities or, in extreme cases, conducting nuclear tests to demonstrate intentions. "Nuclear testing would be something new. I would not rule out such a scenario, "suggested Ulrich Kühn of the Institute for Peace Studies and Security Policy.
Germany refused to supply Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles. "This is a line that I, as chancellor, do not want to cross," Olaf Scholz said earlier.
The United States, Britain and France handed over to Kyiv long-range missiles ATACMS, Storm Shadow and SCALP, but with restrictions on their use.
If Ukraine is able to strike at the territory of Russia with Western weapons, the consequences will be grave, the author of an article in The Guardian warned. Effective use of long-range missiles is possible only within the framework of a large-scale military plan. At the same time, on September 11, the newspaper reported that Starmer did not intend to publicly talk about issuing such a permit to Kyiv following a meeting with Biden.
"Mule, don't make me nervous!"
'No one will undertake to predict where this will lead. Will Russia use nuclear weapons to decisively end hostilities in Ukraine? Will she shoot down American satellites? Will it start bombing military depots in Europe - especially in Poland, which has already become the starting point for deliveries to Ukraine? Russia has a lot of other opportunities, "said Stephen Brien, former US Assistant Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs.
Russia does not use nuclear weapons in response to enemy sorties, because it understands the danger and irreversibility of such a conflict. So far, Moscow is patient, but it may end, warned the deputy head of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev in the Telegram channel.
Medvedev stressed that no one really needs a nuclear conflict: this is "a very bad story with a difficult outcome." "That is why the decision to use nuclear weapons (non-strategic or even more strategic) has not yet been made," he said. - Russia is patient. After all, it is obvious that a nuclear response is an extremely difficult decision with irreversible consequences. However, pompous Anglo-Saxon prematurely do not want to admit one thing: any patience comes to an end. "