Ukraine not capable of using Western long-range weapons: Putin

St Petersburg: Questioning Ukraine’s ability to operate the sophisticated weapons provided to Kyiv by NATO countries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said any use of these weapons would mean direct involvement of the NATO forces – the United States and European countries –  in the war against Russia.

“And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us,” he said here in response to a question in this regard.

Putin was asked to comment on the statements made “at a very high level” in the United Kingdom and the United States that the Kyiv regime would be allowed to strike targets deep inside Russia using Western long-range weapons.

“This is not a question of whether the Kyiv regime is allowed or not allowed to strike targets on Russian territory. It is already carrying out strikes using unmanned aerial vehicles and other means. But using Western-made long-range precision weapons is a completely different story,” Putin said.

He claimed that the Ukrainian army was not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West. “They cannot do that. These weapons are impossible to employ without intelligence data from satellites which Ukraine does not have. This can only be done using the European Union’s satellites, or US satellites – in general, NATO satellites,” he said.

According to Putin, only NATO military personnel could assign flight missions to these missile systems. “Ukrainian servicemen cannot do this,” he asserted, and declared, “Therefore, it is not a question of allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. It is about deciding whether NATO countries become directly involved in the military conflict or not”.

He added: “If this decision is made, it will mean nothing short of direct involvement – it will mean that NATO countries, the United States, and European countries are parties to the war in Ukraine. This will mean their direct involvement in the conflict, and it will clearly change the very essence, the very nature of the conflict dramatically.”

Meanwhile, India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval met Putin on the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi here today to brief the Russian President about Modi’s recent visit to Ukraine and his meeting with Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelenskyy.

“And he wanted me to come specially and personally and brief you on the talks. The talks were in a closed format; it was only the two leaders. He had two people with him, and I happened to be with the Prime Minister. So, I witnessed that, I attended that conversation,” Doval told Putin.

The Russian President told Doval that security issues “have always been, and continue to be, among our top priorities”. He appreciated Doval’s visit to St Petersburg following last year’s meeting in Moscow. “Thank you for continuing to support this dialogue from the Indian side,” Putin told Doval, and said he was expecting Modi in Kazan where Russia will hold the BRICS Summit from October 22 to 24, 2024.

He also suggested holding a bilateral meeting with Modi there on October 22 “in order to close the books on our joint work in implementing the agreements reached during his visit to Moscow and outline some prospects for the near future”.

– global bihari bureau