Joe Biden brushes off Vladimir Putin’s war threat after meeting UK PM
US President Joe Biden has brushed off Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s threat regarding a war against the West if Ukraine’s allies allowed it to use weapons deeper inside Russia.
It is a shift that Kyiv has pleaded for but does not appear likely to be announced following a meeting between Biden and UK PM Starmer on Friday.
Ukraine and many of its supporters in the US and Europe want Biden to lift restrictions on the Western-provided long-range weapons, and there are signs that the US president might shift the administration’s policy. But the US, concerned about any step that could lead Russia to escalate the conflict, has moved cautiously before granting a series of earlier requests from Ukraine for specific arms, including advanced tanks, missiles and rocket systems, and F-16 fighter jets. Russian officials have issued similar threats before many of those past decisions.
Ukraine was a key topic for Biden and British PM Starmer following this week’s visit to Kyiv by their top diplomats, who came under fresh pressure to loosen weapons restrictions. So far, the US has allowed Ukraine to use American-provided weapons only in a limited area inside Russia’s border with Ukraine.
Two US officials familiar with discussions said they believed Starmer would seek Biden’s approval to allow Ukraine to use British Storm Shadow missiles for expanded strikes in Russia. Biden’s approval may be needed because Storm Shadow components are made in the US. The officials said they believed Biden would be amenable.
No announcement was expected on Friday, several US officials said.
A day earlier, Putin said allowing long-range strikes “would mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries, are at war with Russia”. His remarks were in line with the narrative the Kremlin has promoted since early in the war, accusing NATO countries of de-facto participation in the conflict and threatening a response.
Speaking to mediapersons shortly before the talks with Starmer, Biden said he wanted to make it “clear that Putin will not prevail in this war”. Asked what he thought about Putin’s threat, Biden answered, “I don’t think much about Vladimir Putin.”
