Vladimir Putin has said that a western move to let Kyiv use longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia would mean Nato would be “at war” with Moscow.

Putin spoke as US and UK top diplomats discussed easing rules on firing western weapons into Russia, which Kyiv has been pressing for, more than two and a half years into Moscow’s offensive.

“This would in a significant way change the very nature of the conflict,” Putin told a state television reporter.

“It would mean that Nato countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia,” he added. “If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face.”

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    • Tattorack@lemmy.world
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      5 days ago

      I don’t know what counts as a “world war” these days anymore.

      A significant portion of the world’s militaries have been involved in various Middle Eastern conflicts, yet those haven’t been called world wars…

      So… What qualifies as a world war?

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
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        5 days ago

        I don’t think there’s an agreed upon definition, but something akin to simultaneous engagements at different locations across the globe (different continents?) all as part of one interconnecting war maybe?

        • rammer@sopuli.xyz
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          5 days ago

          That’s a pretty good definition. But with this definition we aren’t there yet.

          The current wars aren’t interconnected.

          • njm1314@lemmy.world
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            5 days ago

            True, it would depend entirely on what India and China do in a scenario in which NATO and Russia come to open War.