Putin suggests that Russia may position missiles within reach of the West.

ST PETERSBURG, Russia—Russian President Vladimir Putin stated Wednesday that he could deploy conventional missiles within striking distance of the United States and its European allies if they permitted Ukraine to strike deeper into Russia with long-range Western weapons.

In his first face-to-face meeting with senior editors of international news agencies since the conflict in Ukraine began, Putin criticized the West for assuming Russia would never use nuclear weapons and emphasized that the Kremlin’s nuclear doctrine should not be underestimated.

Putin differentiated between various missiles when asked about NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s calls to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike Russian territory. He warned that allowing Kyiv to strike Russia with increasingly powerful weapons was a significant escalation drawing the West toward a war with Russia.

The Russian leader mentioned the possibility of shooting down Western missiles, specifically referencing U.S. ATACMS and British and French missile systems. Additionally, Putin stated that Moscow was contemplating deploying similar high-technology, long-range missiles close enough to strike the nations that enabled Ukraine to target Russian territory with such missiles.

“If we see that these countries are being lured into a war against the Russian Federation, then we reserve the right to respond in kind. Overall, this is a path to very serious issues,” Putin remarked.

Putin did not specify where he was contemplating delivering such missiles. President Joe Biden approved Kyiv to launch U.S.-supplied weapons at military targets inside Russia, but still restricts Ukraine from striking Russia with ATACMS and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons.

During a visit to Kyiv on May 3, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron stated that Ukraine had the right to use British-provided weapons to target locations within Russia, leaving the decision to Kyiv.

Nuclear Risk

Speaking to journalists for over three hours at the newly constructed 81-floor Gazprom tower before the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Putin discussed various topics such as the war in Gaza and the upcoming U.S. election.

“No one in the United States is concerned about Ukraine; they are focused on the greatness of the United States, which is fighting not for Ukraine and its people but for its own greatness,” Putin expressed.

He mentioned that Russia was indifferent to who the next U.S. president would be but criticized the use of the U.S. court system in a political battle against former President Donald Trump.

When questioned about the threat of nuclear war, Putin reminded that Russia’s nuclear doctrine permitted the use of such weapons.

“For some reason, the West believes that Russia won’t use it,” Putin remarked when asked by Reuters about the potential for nuclear escalation over Ukraine. “We have a nuclear doctrine; look at what it states. If someone’s actions jeopardize our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it a possibility to utilize all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly or superficially.”

Russia’s published 2020 nuclear doctrine outlines the conditions under which a Russian president might consider deploying a nuclear weapon, primarily in response to an attack using nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction, or to counter the use of conventional weapons against Russia when the state’s very existence is at stake.

NATO Attack?

Putin portrays the conflict in Ukraine as part of an existential struggle with a declining and decadent West that he believes humiliated Russia after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 by encroaching on what Moscow views as its sphere of influence, including Ukraine.

He accused the West of refusing to address the root causes of the conflict, which he claims began in 2014 following the ousting of a pro-Russian president in Ukraine’s Maidan Revolution, which Putin labeled as a U.S.-backed coup.

The West has pledged to support Ukraine in defeating Russian forces. Ukraine insists it will not cease until every last Russian soldier is expelled from the areas they control that Moscow now considers part of Russia.

While Western leaders and Ukraine downplay Russia’s warnings about the potential for a broader conflict involving Russia, they have consistently warned that Putin might target a NATO member.

Both Putin and President Biden have stated that a direct conflict between Russia, the world’s largest nuclear power, and NATO led by the U.S. would escalate towards World War Three.

“Portraying Russia as the enemy is detrimental to yourself, you know?” Putin remarked. “They believed that Russia wanted to attack NATO. Have you lost your mind completely? That is as absurd as this table. Who came up with that? It’s utter nonsense, you know? Absolute rubbish.”