If NATO member states allow Kiev to strike with long-range weapons deep inside Russia, it makes them direct participants in war against Russia — against the nuclear power — with all the consequences that this implies, the diplomat stressed.
"Let's wait until the end of the high-level week, because there will be a lot of meetings, a lot of speculations, a lot of talk. So let's wait how it will be framed during the discussions there," Polyanskiy said when asked what would be the implications and whether the Western states had realized what would be the impact.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously said that NATO countries were discussing not just the possible use of Western long-range weapons by Kiev but were essentially deciding whether to directly engage in the Ukrainian conflict. The direct participation of Western countries in the Ukrainian conflict will change its essence; Russia will be forced to make decisions based on the threats this creates for it, he added.
Russia believes that arms supplies to Ukraine hinder the settlement and directly involve NATO countries in the conflict. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would be a legitimate target for Russia. According to Lavrov, the US, and NATO are directly involved in the conflict, including not only by supplying weapons, but also by training personnel in the UK, Germany, Italy and other countries.
Moreover, Volodymyr Zelensky chose the path of escalation after the attack by Ukrainian militants on Russia's Kursk region; this is the "best answer" to everyone who hoped that Kiev was striving for peace, Polyanskiy said.
"Judge what others do by their acts and not by their words. So his clear choice of escalation was when he invaded the Kursk Region of the Russian Federation. I think it was the best reply to everybody who was having hopes that the Ukrainian leadership has peace on his mind. And let's not forget that his decree prohibiting to enter any negotiations with Russian officials is still in force," he said.
At 5:30 on August 6, Ukrainian Armed Forces units launched an offensive to seize territory in the Kursk region; their advance was stopped, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov said. He emphasized that the operation in the Kursk region would be completed by defeating the enemy and reaching the state border. As the Russian Defense Ministry reported on September 22, during the fighting in the Kursk direction, the enemy lost more than 16,000 soldiers and 126 tanks.
Putin said that Kiev had carried out a provocation, was conducting indiscriminate shooting, including at civilian targets. He added that the enemy would receive a worthy response, all goals facing Russia would be achieved.
In the Kursk, as well as the Belgorod and Bryansk regions, a counter-terrorism operation regime is in effect to ensure the safety of citizens.