If Ukraine is allowed to use long-range Western-provided missiles against targets inside Russia, it would mean the direct participation of Nato countries in the conflict, Vladimir Putin said on Thursday 12 September. Western long-range precision weapons can only be used with intelligence data from Nato satellites and flight assignments entered by Nato military personnel, he claimed. “Therefore, we are not talking about allowing the Ukrainian regime to strike Russia with these weapons or not. We are talking about making a decision about whether NATO countries are directly involved in the military conflict or not,” Mr Putin said. He added that the decision would change “the very nature of the conflict”. “This will mean that Nato countries, the United States, and European countries are fighting against Russia.”