As President Joe Biden and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine Friday, the shadow of Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin’s words hung over them.
According to The New York Times, Starmer hinted that a decision about whether Ukraine’s allies would allow the nation to use long-range weapons in Russia would come soon when he addressed reporters after the talk with Biden. The outlet described the topic as a “rare point of contention,” between the U.S. and Britain.
Although the U.S. has provided Ukraine with considerable aid and Biden has stressed the importance of supporting the nation against Russia’s attack, that support doesn’t come without concerns. In particular, concerns about nuclear war.
Per the Federation of American Scientists, the U.S. and Russia have the largest stores of nuclear weapons in the world – the U.S. has an estimated 5,044 and Russia has an estimated 5,580. China has the next highest amount at 500, followed by France with 290, the U.K. with 225, India with 172, Pakistan with 170, Israel with 90 and North Korea with 50. As of this January, the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists said its Doomsday Clock was at 90 seconds to midnight, meaning we are in an unprecedented state of danger.
Then, this week, Putin made ominous comments regarding the potential decision to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons.
He said it would be considered an act of war, according to CNN.
“This will mean that NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization] countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told reporters Thursday. “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.”
Since Russia first invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Putin has sought to remind the world of Russia’s nuclear power, said The New York Times. Early on, he warned that countries that interfered with the invasion would face “consequences such as you have never seen in your entire history.”
Thursday’s warning, made during an event in St. Petersburg, was one of his most direct threats from Putin regarding war with NATO, said the Times. A spokesman for Putin said Friday that the Russian president’s words were “extremely clear” and important. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, also said that if the West lifted restrictions on the use of weapons deeper into Russia, “it would mean that from that moment NATO countries begin a direct war with Russia.”
White House spokesman John Kirby said that the U.S. is taking Putin’s threats seriously.
Still, Putin has never followed through on these threats in the past. Even with a large stockpile of destructive weapons, Russia would still have to face the most powerful militaries in the world if he triggered NATO’s mutual defense article.
In Ukraine alone, Russia’s military has been suffering severe losses and Putin has been relying on North Korea and Iran for weaponry as Ukraine employs inventive strategies such as thermite-spewing drones that some have compared to dragons from the “Game of Thrones” franchise. While Ukraine has been for the most part on the defense, it launched a surprise attack inside Russia last month after heavy civilian losses in July.
This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged the U.S. to support use of long-range weapons in Russia.
“Thanks to the support of the United States and assistance in strengthening the international coalition, we are making progress on the battlefield. But we need permission to use long-range weapons. I hope that the U.S. political community understands this clearly and that the relevant decision will be made,” Zelenskyy said.
Citing anonymous U.S. officials, the Associated Press reported Friday that Starmer was expected to seek Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Those sources said they believed Biden would be amenable to the request. As of Saturday, no official announcement had been made.
Following his talk with Biden Friday, Starmer said more discussion is expected this month during the annual meeting in New York of the United Nations General Assembly at the end of the month.
“I think if you look at both the Ukrainian situation and the Middle East, it is obvious that in the coming weeks and months there are really important potential developments, whatever timetable is going on in other countries,” he said.
Apart from triggering war with NATO, Putin has other ways to strike back at the West, said the Times. These include supplying weapons to America’s adversaries and other, more subtle moves. Last week, Audacy reported on Russia’s attempts to influence U.S. voters online and the U.S. State Department announced more sanctions related to those efforts Friday.
Russia also announced this week that it is expelling six British diplomats from the country and accused them of spying. Putin’s chief spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, also publicly complained Wednesday about comments Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s made regarding Russia during their presidential debate, according to CBS News.
“The name Putin is used, let’s say, as one of the tools in the domestic political struggle of the United States,” Peskov told reporters in Moscow, adding: “We really, really don't like this and we still hope they will leave our president alone.”
Trump, the current GOP candidate, has made positive comments about Putin in the past, as well as critical comments about NATO. During the debate, Harris told Trump that Putin would “eat you for lunch,” and Peskov appeared to teasingly give Harris Russia’s endorsement after the debate.
Additionally, Trump frequently invokes fears about “World War III” as war continues in Ukraine and the Middle East. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov issued a warning about “World War III” to the U.S. as well late last month, according to Newsweek.
CNN reported Saturday afternoon that Russia had launched a counteroffensive against Ukraine but that it had yet to gain momentum.
Regardless of the long-range weapons issue, both the U.S. and the U.K. Friday “reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine as it continues to defend against Russia’s aggression,” according to the White House.