Putin threatens war with NATO as Russian military aircraft spotted off Alaska

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Vice President Kamala Harris answers a question about her support for Ukraine during the ABC News Presidential Debate. (ABC News)

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that his country will be "at war" with NATO if the West lifts restrictions on its missiles in Ukraine. His announcement comes on the heels of Russian military aircraft being spotted flying off the coast of Alaska. 

President Biden — among other Western nations' leaders — has come under intense pressure to lift the U.S. ban on Ukraine using American long-range missiles to strike deep inside Russia. 

"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.

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in Washington, D.C., on Friday for talks with Biden that are expected to largely center on the use of Western weapons to strike inside Russia. 

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Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during Russian-Mongolian talks in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Sept. 3. (Getty Images)

The U.S. scrambled Russian fighter jets it had detected flying in the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on Thursday. 

In a post to X, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said it detected and intercepted the planes, but they did not violate American or Canadian airspace. 

"This Russian activity in the Alaska ADIZ is not seen as a threat, and NORAD will continue to monitor competitor activity near North America and meet presence with presence."

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and Foreign Secretary David Lammy speak at the British ambassador's residence in Washington, D.C., on Friday before their meeting with President Biden.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin sowed doubts that allowing free rein with U.S.-provided Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles would change the tide of the war. 

"I find that relationship between what the Pentagon is advising the president based on intelligence versus the international pressure to be the really interesting part of the story," Seth Krummich, a retired Army colonel and vice president at international security firm Global Guardian, told Fox News Digital. 

Ahead of the discussions, Moscow said it revoked accreditation for six British diplomats in Russia, accusing them of spying. 

A glide bomb is seen under the wing of a Su-34 bomber of the Russian air force during a combat mission in Ukraine. Ukraine is imploring the West to allow it to use ATACMS to strike inside Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

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Putin on Thursday raised doubts about whether Ukraine could even use long-range missiles for offensive strikes alone without the help of Western intelligence in targeting. "The Ukrainian army is not capable of using cutting-edge high-precision long-range systems supplied by the West" without NATO assistance in targeting, Putin warned. 

"The real risk here is either a manufactured event by Russia with disinformation or, no kidding, a mistake happening using Western or NATO-provided long-range missiles that could trigger a war or a significant escalation," Krummich said.