Ukraine-Russia latest: Putin threatens Nato with war as he expels six UK diplomats over spying claims

Nato will be directly at war with Moscow if the US and UK allow Kyiv to use longer-range weapons against targets inside Russia, President Vladimir Putin has warned.

Mr Putin claimed the programming of Western missiles would have to be done by Nato military personnel — bringing the organisation into direct confrontation with the Kremlin.

“If that’s the case, then taking into account the change of nature of the conflict, we will take the appropriate decisions based on the threats that we will face,” he said.

Mr Putin did not address reports of Russia recently acquiring new ballistic missiles from Iran to likely use them in the war against Ukraine.

On the war front, Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Russia’s counter-offensive in Kursk, stating that Kyiv had anticipated Russian forces to fight back.

This comes as Putin revoked the accreditation of six British diplomats in Moscow, accusing them of spying and sabotage.

Russia’s FSB security service claimed to have documents showing a British foreign office department in London was coordinating what it called “the escalation of the political and military situation” and was tasked with ensuring Russia’s strategic defeat against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will meet US President Joe Biden for talks on Friday on the next steps in supporting Ukraine, centring on whether to allow Western missiles to be used to hit targets in Russia.

The New York Times reported, citing European officials, that the United States looks set to approve the use by Ukraine of long range missiles against targets in Russia on the condition that the weapons were not those provided by the United States.

Focus now turns to talks in Washington after a joint fact-finding trip to Kyiv by U.S. Secretary