Latest Ukraine war: Russia issues new warning to West – and says hypersonic missile was a message | World News

Of Alex Rossiinternational correspondent

Vladimir Putin has no room to back down.

Now he is locked into an evolving narrative and ideology that gives him no option but to double down on his disastrous war in Ukraine.

The conflict was sold to his people as an existential war of survival for the nation.

It means it will raise the stakes every time the West steps up its response to its escalation.

We are in another dangerous cycle in a conflict that has now raged for more than 1,000 days.

Putin’s latest threat is a statement that the US is risking nuclear war by expanding its military aid.

His message is simple: to frighten and deter and break the resolve of Ukraine’s allies.

The Russian leader is increasingly characterizing the war as a “global conflict”, hinting at strikes in Western countries if they continue their support for Kiev.

Its bellicose stance comes after the West allowed its stockpile of long-range weapons to be used to strike deep inside Russia.

The move doesn’t change the game, but it does change the dynamics of the war and gives Zelenskyy’s beleaguered nation a moment to strike.

But Putin’s tough words were followed by action.

He confirmed the use of a new nuclear-capable intermediate-range missile in Ukraine.

For Moscow, this was an inevitable reaction to what the Kremlin calls “Western aggression.”

As well as wreaking havoc in Ukraine, the technology is sending the message that, frighteningly, Western Europe is also within reach.

The implication is made clear that a wider conflict may not be far off if the West does not change its policy.

This has also been underlined by recent changes to Russia’s nuclear doctrine, further complicating the situation.

By lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons if Russia is attacked by a non-nuclear state backed by a nuclear power (such as the US), the Kremlin is trying to keep Western leaders on their toes.

It is also an attempt to communicate directly to their constituencies about the dangers of unbridled support for Ukraine.

Although many analysts are skeptical that Russia would use a nuclear weapon in Ukraine, Putin continues to clarify that it is not impossible.

But the prospect of a miscalculation or an accident remains high.

And surely the Kremlin also hopes that Putin’s perceived unpredictability will itself be a powerful weapon against his enemies.