Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that foreign-made tanks are a “priority target” for Russian forces in Ukraine and dismissed the impact of Western weaponry supply on the course of the war. Putin emphasized his belief that Ukraine’s membership in NATO would pose a threat to Russia’s security and argued that the provision of Western arms had only escalated tensions globally and prolonged the conflict.
In response to France’s decision to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles, Putin acknowledged their potential damage but downplayed their critical impact on the war zone. He reaffirmed that foreign-made tanks are a primary target for Russian forces.
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden expressed his view that Russia has already lost the war in Ukraine and expressed hope that Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive would compel Moscow to engage in negotiations. During a visit to Finland, Biden pledged that Ukraine would eventually join NATO, despite the alliance’s failure to provide a membership timeline at the recent summit. Biden emphasized that it was a matter of when, not if, Ukraine would become a NATO member.
Putin’s comments regarding targeting Western tanks and his warnings about growing military assistance to Ukraine were his first public response to remarks made at the NATO summit. He reiterated Russia’s strong opposition to Ukraine joining the defense bloc, arguing that it would threaten Russia’s strategic interests and make the world more vulnerable.
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington, DC, noted Russia’s relatively muted response to the developments at the NATO summit. The ISW interpreted this response as a setback for Russia’s goals, particularly its aim to prevent NATO expansion and push the alliance away from Russia’s borders.
In a sign of Moscow’s anger at NATO’s support for Ukraine, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov referred to F-16 fighter jets sent to Ukraine as a “nuclear” threat due to their capacity to carry atomic bombs. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy secretary of Russia’s Security Council, also warned that assistance from NATO members to Ukraine could bring the world closer to a third global conflict.
While Ukrainian pilots are scheduled to begin training on F-16 fighter jets in Romania, the supply of US-made warplanes to Ukraine is still under discussion among Kyiv’s military allies.
