Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he hoped the West “heard” his warning about the danger of a direct war with North Atlantic Treaty Organization if it allowed Ukraine to use long-range weapons against Russia.

Putin made the initial threat in September after Britain and the United States mulled letting Kyiv use long-range arms against Russian targets, warning this would put the NATO “at war” with Moscow.

“They didn’t tell me anything about it, but I hope they heard,” Putin said in remarks to a state TV reporter when asked if the West had listened to his warning.

“Ukrainian troops cannot use these weapons on their own. Only specialists from NATO countries can do it, because they need space intelligence, which Ukraine naturally does not have,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had for months been pressing his Western allies for permission to use long-range missiles against targets deep inside Russian territory, arguing the move would “motivate” Moscow to seek peace.

Western officials signalled last month a decision on the matter was imminent, but British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden later put it off amid Moscow’s dire threats.

Biden played down Putin’s warning, with US officials saying the missiles would likely make a limited difference to Ukraine’s campaign.

51 drones downed

Meanwhile, Russia shot down 51 Ukrainian drones from above several regions, including near the border, Moscow’s defense ministry said on Sunday.

Eighteen were intercepted in the Tambov region, about 400 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, and 16 in the area of the border town Belgorod, the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.

The others were shot down in the regions of Oryol, Briansk, Lipetsk and Voronej.

One was intercepted in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have been conducting a ground offensive since August and control several hundred square kilometers of Russian territory.

Russia announces almost daily that it has destroyed Ukrainian drones.

Kyiv claims that the strikes, which often target energy infrastructure, are in response to Russian bombardments of Ukrainian territory.