Vladimir Putin has issued a chilling claim that Russia would be "at war" with the UK and US if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range missiles.

He said permitting Kyiv to use the weapons would "change the very nature of the conflict" between the autocratic state and NATO.

Discussions are understood to have been moving forward regarding softening restrictions on Ukraine using long-range missiles which could strike deeper into Russia in a bid to limit the supply line to the frontline of the ongoing invasion.

READ MORE: Chilling image of Russian ship suggests bloodcurdling missile proof as it returns from Iran

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Speaking to a state TV reporter today (September 12) about the possibility of Ukraine using such missiles Putin said: "It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia.

"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."

The despot added clearing the way for Ukraine to use missiles that can hit Russian targets "is a decision on whether NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict or not," reports the Mail.

It comes after an image of a Russian cargo ship docked at Port Olya 3 in southern Russia on September 4 was released. The vessel is suspected of carrying ballistic missiles planned to be used in Ukraine from Iran to Russia via the Caspian Sea. Claims about the vessel’s cargo come according to an unnamed Ukrainian source who reportedly spoke to Sky News.

Satellite images show the ship docked at Port Olya 3 in Astrakhan, six days after it was also seen at the Iranian port of Amirabad.

The same source, which the Daily Star has not been able to independently verify, also reportedly claims it was carrying Fateh-360 ballistic missiles. The source says the missiles were transferred onto a cargo train.

The news comes following our earlier report that Russia was being supplied with weaponry from an alliance of nations positioned against the West.

Professor Anthony Glees of the University of Buckingham explained: “We should be in no doubt that Putin is desperate as he enters the third winter of this repugnant war. He has his back to the wall. He has to rely on weapons from North Korea, China and now Iran – the very driver of Islamist terrorism and in that guise usually seen as Russia's mortal enemy," he said.

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