Putin's ultimatum - then Russia is at war with NATO

Russian invasion
Putin threatens war against NATO

Nora Fernstedt,

Oskar Forsberg

Updated 21.59 | Published 20.37

Vladimir Putin threatens war against NATO if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range weapons from the West against targets inside Russia.

This is reported by AFP.

- That would mean that NATO, the USA and the European countries are at war with Russia, says Putin on Russian state television.

The United States and Great Britain are currently discussing whether Ukraine should be allowed to use long-range weapons on Russian territory.

Something that Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't like - and now he's sharpening his tone against NATO.

- It would fundamentally change the conflict, says the Russian president on state television on Thursday evening, Reuters and AFP report.

"Red Lines"

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has for several months appealed to the country's allies to allow Ukraine to fire long-range weapons into Russian territory.

Above all, they have requested to be allowed to use so-called Atacms robots to a greater extent, with a range of up to 30 miles.

Test firing of an American Atacms robot. Photo: AP

- If they make that decision, it means nothing less than that the NATO countries, the USA and the European countries are directly involved in the war in Ukraine. That would mean that they participate directly, and that would of course change the core of the conflict significantly, says Putin.

During the course of the war, the Russian president has repeatedly spoken of "red lines" for attacks against Russia.

US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will meet in Washington on Friday.

Joakim Paasikivi says that Putin uses the same rhetoric as around the F-16 plan. Photo: Björn Lindahl

Similar rhetoric

Joakim Paasikivi, former lieutenant colonel, says that the new threats from Putin are no different from before.

- He reuses the same rhetoric he used regarding the F-16. The new thing is that it is he himself who pronounces this, instead of sending someone else.

Paasikivi adds that you have to take Russia seriously, because they have nuclear weapons.

- But the substance of this is no different from before. In the case of the F-16, they could be seen as nuclear weapons carriers, which is why it was perhaps a more serious threat, he says.

Russian President Vladimir Putin Photo: AP