evidence: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO alliance leaders that a move to lift restrictions on Ukraine’s use of longer-range Western missiles to strike deep inside his country would be considered an act of war. "This will mean that NATO countries – the United States and European countries – are at war with Russia. And if this is the case, then, bearing in mind the change in the essence of the conflict, we will make appropriate decisions in response to the threats that will be posed to us," Putin told reporters on Thursday. [...] "We’ve now seen this action of Russia acquiring ballistic missiles from Iran, which will further empower their aggression in Ukraine, so if anyone is taking escalatory action, it would appear to be Mr. Putin and Russia," said Blinken.