UNITED NATIONS, September 13. /TASS/. If NATO countries allow Ukraine to use their long-range weapons to strike deep into Russia, it will mean a direct war on Russia, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya said.

"Once a decision to lift restrictions is really made, it will mean that NATO countries begin a direct war on Russia from this very moment. In this case, naturally, we will be forced to make corresponding decisions with all potential consequences for the Western aggressors. And our Western colleagues won’t be able to dodge responsibility and shift the blame onto Kiev," he said at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.

According to the Russian diplomat, such a scenario would cardinally change Moscow’s relations with Western countries.

The Daily Telegraph reported earlier that British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden during a meeting in Washington on Friday might touch upon the issue of granting Ukraine permission to use British long-range Storm Shadow missiles. The Guardian reported on September 11 that Starmer did not intend to speak publicly about granting Ukraine such a permit following his meeting with Biden. According to The Daily Telegraph, if the parties allow Ukraine to fire long-range missiles deep into Russian territory, they will probably announce this at the UN General Assembly in late September.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the media that Ukraine was unable to strike deep into Russian territory without Western help because it needed intelligence from satellites and flight tasks to do so. The Russian leader noted that NATO countries were now not just debating about Kiev's possible use of Western long-range weapons. They are essentially deciding whether or not to get directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin pointed out that Moscow would make decisions based on the threats that would be posed to Russia.