By The Diary
Sep 12, 2024, 6:46 PM EDT
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that if the West allows kyiv to use longer-range weapons to attack Russian targets, NATO would be “at war with Russia.”
Putin spoke as top US and British diplomats discussed relaxing rules on firing Western weapons at Russia, something kyiv has been pushing for, more than two and a half years after Moscow invaded.
“We will make decisions based on the warnings”
“This would significantly change the very nature of the conflict,” Putin told state television. “It would mean that NATO countries, the United States, European countries, are at war with Russia,” he threatened.
“If that is the case, then, taking into account the changed nature of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions based on the threats we face,” the Kremlin leader said.
Allowing kyiv to strike deep into Russia “is a decision on whether NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not,” he added.
US announces new aid to Ukraine
A day before the Russian president made the remarks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced $717 million in new economic and humanitarian aid for Ukraine, including assistance to enable Kiev to restore its energy infrastructure in the face of Russian attacks.
“As we meet here today, we see again, Putin is dusting off his winter playbook, targeting Ukraine’s power and electricity systems to turn the cold into a weapon against the Ukrainian people,” Blinken said at a press conference alongside his British counterparts, David Lammy, and Ukrainian counterpart, Andri Sibiga.
Millions of dollars in humanitarian aid
The United States will provide $325 million in new funding to help repair Ukraine’s energy and power grid. The $290 million in humanitarian support is to provide vital services such as clean water, food, shelter and medicine to millions of Ukrainians.
Additionally, $102 million in additional funding for humanitarian demining, to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind by Russia in Ukraine.
With information from Deutsche Welle
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