On Wednesday, the Kremlin labeled as “dangerous” remarks made by Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing NATO chief, regarding the West’s potential decision to permit Ukraine to utilize Western long-range weaponry against Russia.

Stoltenberg indicated that such a move would not constitute a red line that would trigger an escalation from Moscow. For months, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been urging allies to allow Ukraine to deploy Western missiles, including long-range U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows, to diminish Russia’s capacity to conduct attacks.

In an interview with The Times released on Tuesday, Stoltenberg downplayed a warning issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous week, which suggested that allowing Ukraine to target deep within Russian territory would signify direct Western involvement in the conflict. “Numerous red lines have been proclaimed by him in the past, and he has not escalated, which also means not involving NATO allies directly in the conflict,” Stoltenberg stated, as his term as head of the military alliance concludes in October.

He has refrained from taking action because he understands that NATO represents the most formidable military alliance globally. Additionally, there is a shared understanding that nuclear warfare cannot be won and should be avoided. We have communicated this to him on multiple occasions.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov expressed to reporters that Stoltenberg’s comments are perilous. “This blatant disregard for the Russian president’s statements is a completely myopic and unprofessional approach,” Peskov stated. He further characterized Stoltenberg’s stance as “highly provocative and dangerous.”

A senior NATO military official indicated over the weekend that Ukraine would have valid military justification to conduct strikes deeper into Russian territory using Western armaments. Allies of Kyiv, including the United States and the United Kingdom, are currently deliberating whether to authorize such actions.

Prominent Russian politicians and foreign policy advocates have hinted that Moscow might consider a nuclear response. The head of Russia’s nuclear testing facility announced on Tuesday that it is prepared to resume testing “at any moment,” emphasizing that Russia possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world.

Throughout the duration of the conflict, Washington and its allies have significantly escalated military support for Ukraine in ways that were previously unimaginable, such as supplying tanks, sophisticated missiles, and F-16 fighter jets.

This shift has led some Western politicians to propose that Putin’s nuclear threats are merely a bluff, advocating for the U.S. and NATO to fully commit to assisting Ukraine in achieving victory.

President Zelenskiy has remarked that Ukraine’s offensive into Russian territory, initiated on August 6, undermines Putin’s established red lines.