“This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia,” Putin told reporters on Thursday. US officials have expressed concerns that allowing Ukraine to strike deep inside Russia could escalate the conflict and cause Russia to further accuse the US of being part of the war. Blinken said he discussed the restrictions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and would report back to President Biden. On Tuesday, the bipartisan congressional Ukraine caucus called on Biden to allow Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia with the long-range weapons. The United States already does provide intelligence to Ukraine, and has previously assisted in the targeting, although not with the long-range systems currently being considered.

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Persons: Vladimir Putin, ” Putin, Joe Biden’s, Antony Blinken, we’ll, ” Blinken, Andrii Sybiha, David Lammy, Blinken, Volodymyr Zelensky, Biden, Putin, Stacie Pettyjohn, CNN’s Alex Marquardt, Rustem Umerov, William Courtney, ”, Michael Callahan, Natasha Bertrand, Oren Liebermann, Lex Harvey Organizations: CNN, NATO, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Britain’s, Biden, Republicans, West, United, Center, New American Security, Belbek Airbase, Tactical Missile, Ukrainian Defense, RAND Corporation Locations: Ukraine, Moscow, United States, Russia, Kyiv, Blinken’s Ukraine, Russian, Belbek, Crimea, Ukrainian, Iran, US