TOKYO, November 21. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin is showing restraint amid US President Joe Biden's decision to allow Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with American ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles, Japanese upper house of parliament member Muneo Suzuki told a TASS correspondent.

"President [Vladimir] Putin is showing restraint in this situation," he said, stressing that Biden's decision was "simply unthinkable." Suzuki also said that the Russian president is acting in a measured way in the current situation. "But President Putin has made it clear that all retaliatory measures will be taken if there is a threat to Russia and the Russian people," the Japanese lawmaker added.

Top EU diplomat Josep Borrell confirmed that the US administration had lifted restrictions for US-supplied missiles to be used for strikes up to 300 kilometers inside Russia. He noted that the issue had been discussed at an EU foreign ministers’ meeting, but the parties had failed to come to a consensus on lifting the restrictions, ruling that every member state would decide for itself.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov recalled that Moscow’s position on the Ukrainian strikes by US missiles deep into Russian territory was clearly and unambiguously formulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. According to him, this decision means a "qualitatively new round of escalation of tensions."

On September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed out that a potential decision to use Western long-range weapons against Russia would mean nothing less than the direct involvement of the United States and other NATO countries in the war in Ukraine. This would drastically alter the nature of this conflict, and Russia would be forced to take appropriate measures in response to the escalating threats, the Russian president warned. Putin emphasized that Ukraine would not be able to strike deep into Russian territory without Western support, as it would require satellite intelligence and flight missions to do so.