Putin threatens war as Western allies near deal on missile strikes in Russia

Matthew Savill, director of military services for the London-based defense think tank RUSI, said any extension of allies’ support for long-range missiles was for Ukraine “a test of support and willpower — is the West going to be deterred by Russian rhetoric or not?” The reluctance to make such a commitment thus far has been centered “around the risk nuclear escalation and blowback against international partners,” Savill noted, “but at the same time the Russians have been talking about for a year now as if they are already effectively at war with the U.S. and the U.K.” He warned the Storm Shadow missiles would have “limited” impact tactically inside Russia but said their use could help unlock the use of U.S.-supplied ATACMS and raise questions about where to put Russian air defenses, which could improve the ability of Ukrainian drones to get through.