Steve Rosenberg
The headline in this morning’s Kommersant newspaper captured the drama.
“Vladimir Putin draws his red line.”
Will the West cross it? And, if it does, how will Russia respond?
Speaking in St Petersburg, President Putin sent a clear warning to the West: don’t allow Ukraine to use your long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.
Moscow, he said, would view that as the “direct participation” of Nato countries in the war in Ukraine.
“It would substantially change the very essence, the nature of the conflict,” the Kremlin leader continued.
“This will mean that Nato countries, the USA and European states, are fighting with Russia.”
He claimed that, for missile launches into Russia, Ukraine would require data from Western satellites and that only servicemen from Nato member states would be able to “input flight missions into these missile systems”.
Russia has drawn red lines before. And seen them crossed before.
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