WASHINGTON, September 19. /TASS/. The US administration does not believe that the use of Western long-range weapons against Russia will help Ukraine turn the tide on the battlefield in its favor, Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said at a regular briefing for reporters.

She emphasized that the US policy on this matter "has not changed." According to Singh, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has "been very clear" that a potential lifting of restrictions won’t be "a silver bullet." "It's not one capability that's going to win the war, or suddenly, you know, unlock something for the Ukrainians," she said.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters that Ukraine is unable to strike deep into Russian territory without Western help because it needs intelligence from satellites and flight missions to do so. He pointed out that NATO countries are now not only debating Kiev's possible use of Western long-range weapons, but are actually deciding whether to get directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. Putin emphasized that Moscow would make its decisions based on the threats posed to Russia.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov, for his part, said that Moscow was aware of the West's decision to attack deep into Russian territory and to send appropriate signals to Kiev. According to him, Russia will respond to the strikes in a decisive manner.