International

Putin: NATO will be at war with Russia if it authorizes the use of missiles against Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that if NATO authorizes Ukraine to use long-range missiles to hit targets on Russian territory, it will mean that it will be at war with Russia.

“If that decision is made, it will mean nothing other than the direct participation of NATO countries, the United States and European countries in the war in Ukraine (…), that will mean that NATO countries, the United States and European countries, are fighting against Russia,” Putin told public television after speaking at a cultural forum in St. Petersburg.

This decision will change “the very nature of the conflict”

Putin stressed that this decision will change “the very nature of the conflict,” alluding to the fat that it will no longer be reduced to a war between the Russian and Ukrainian armies.

“If that is the case (…), we will make the corresponding decisions based on the threats that create us,” he said.

Ukraine does not have technical capacity

He insisted that, in reality, NATO is not authorizing Kiev to use those long-range missiles, whether the ATCAMS or the Storm Shadow, since the Ukrainian army does not have the technical capacity to do so.

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Putin stressed that, according to the opinion of Russian and Western experts, these missiles can only be launched against Russian territory with the help of intelligence data from US satellites or European Union countries, since Ukraine lacks them.

“And most importantly, in fact, flight missions can only be determined by the military of NATO countries,” he said.

Last May, the Kremlin leader already used the same argument against the use of Western weapons against targets on Russian territory.

Then, he warned European countries with “serious consequences,” alluding to the fact that, normally, “these are states with small, but densely populated territories.”

Lavrov: The West already gave permission “a long time ago”

In this regard, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, assured today that the West has already given permission “a long time ago” to Ukraine to attack Russian territory with long-range missiles.

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Lavrov described Wednesday’s visit to Kiev by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Minister David Lammy, who would have addressed these issues with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a “staging”.

“Every day the number of (Ukrainian) attacks against civilian targets and shootings against civilians increases drastically. (…) Western military specialists literally manually coordinate attacks with high-precision weapons,” he said.

Accuses NATO of providing Kiev with data

He also accused NATO of providing Kiev with data from its intelligence satellites, which are used to “hit targets within Russian territory,” which includes energy and industrial infrastructure, but also homes, schools and hospitals.

During their visit to Kiev, both Blinken and Lammy stressed that the authorization for the use of long-range missiles will be dealt with by their respective heads of state at the meeting that both will hold tomorrow, Friday, in Washington.

“It is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin who has escalated (the situation) this week with the shipment of ballistic missiles from Iran,” Lammy said.

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International

Macron meets Machado, stresses need for democratic transition in Venezuela

Emmanuel Macron met on Monday at the Élysée Palace with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, where they discussed the importance of advancing a democratic transition in Venezuela.

In a message shared on social media, Macron highlighted Machado’s commitment to freedom and stressed the need to achieve a transition that is peaceful and respects the will of the Venezuelan people.

“I received María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Together, we discussed her commitment to freedom and the importance of achieving a democratic, peaceful transition in Venezuela that respects the will of its people,” he wrote.

For her part, Machado expressed her “deep gratitude” to Macron and to France for their support of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.

“We have gone through a long and painful journey, and we are now very close to freedom. Venezuela will become a nation of free and equal men and women—prosperous, safe, and united,” she said.

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International

Trump says Iran seeks new talks after failed negotiations in Pakistan

Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran has reached out to United States to resume negotiations, following the collapse of recent talks held in Islamabad.

“We’ve been contacted by the other side,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is eager to reach a deal “at all costs.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he reiterated that his main objective is to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and warned that he will not allow Iran to “blackmail” the international community.

After negotiations between Washington and Tehran ended without agreement on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. would move to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil trade.

The waterway had already been disrupted by Iran in response to a U.S. and Israeli offensive launched on February 28, causing significant shocks to the global economy.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump further warned that any Iranian vessel attempting to bypass the U.S. naval blockade in the strait would be “eliminated immediately.”

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The renewed tensions have pushed oil prices higher, while global stock markets have reacted negatively to the lack of an agreement in Islamabad.

International

Trump orders U.S. control of Strait of Hormuz after failed Iran talks

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz“effective immediately,” following the collapse of negotiations with Iran held in Islamabad.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Navy to block vessels attempting to enter or exit the strategic waterway, a key route for global energy trade.

“The meeting went well, agreement was reached on most points, but the only really important one — nuclear weapons — was not approved,” Trump said, referring to the talks with Iranian representatives.

The president also stated that he had instructed authorities to intercept ships in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran to transit the strait, calling such payments “illegal.” He further accused Tehran of hindering an agreement by deploying mines in the area, describing the move as “international extortion.”

Trump added that the United States will undertake efforts to clear mines from the strait and expressed confidence that a future agreement ensuring free navigation could eventually be reached.

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The announcement came after Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner briefed the president on the outcome of the negotiations, considered the highest-level contacts between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

While Trump acknowledged that enough progress had been made to maintain a temporary truce, he criticized Iran for remaining unwilling to abandon its nuclear ambitions, calling its position “very inflexible” on the central issue.