US President Joe Biden's decision to let Ukraine use US-supplied, long-range missiles inside Russia has created an uproar in Moscow, which has termed the move escalation and "catastrophic". While Russian lawmakers and media have lashed out at President Joe Biden and the West, one person maintains a stoic silence. It is none other than Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin has so far not responded to the new development as the world anticipates how he would react if an American missile kills Russian soldiers on Russian soil.
The Russian President may not take the decision lightly. Many in the White House, who weren't enthusiastic about Biden's decision, fear that Putin might widen the war if the US allows Kyiv to use the missiles against Russia.
Putin has earlier warned, repeatedly, that the West would be "playing with fire" if they ever allowed Ukraine to lob ballistic missiles at Russia. The Russian President made it clear in no uncertain terms that Moscow would view it as the "direct participation" of NATO in the war, considering that operating such weapons would require trained personnel (in this case, the US).
"It would substantially change the very essence, the nature of the conflict. This will mean that NATO countries, the USA and European states, are fighting with Russia," Putin said in September.
He has also threatened to change the Russian nuclear doctrine, which stipulates that Russia considers nuclear weapons to be exclusively a means of deterrence. As per the policy, a non-nuclear power like Ukraine seeking the help of a nuclear power (like the US) to take on Russia can "warrant a nuclear response".
The Russian President has already dropped hints that the Kremlin might consider supplying weapons of the "same class" to Western adversaries to strike Western targets abroad.
Belarusian President and Putin's close ally Alexander Lukashenko echoed his words when he told a BBC interview that Putin might get his revenge by supplying long-range Bastion missiles to Houthi [rebels]. "What happens if an aircraft carrier is hit? A British or American one. What then?"
However, many eyes are currently on US President-Elect Donald Trump too on whether he would allow Ukraine to do so once he takes over as the President. Trump has repeatedly said that he would end the war without providing details.
Many Russian media houses are also pinning their hopes on Trump to revise the decision. Izvestia newspaper quoted a Russian military expert who said "the Russian armed forces had already [previously] intercepted ATACMS missiles during attacks on the Crimean shore" and speculated that "President-elect Trump might "revise" the decision.
