RUSSIA: Putin Set To Deliver Address On 'Current International Situation'

President Vladimir Putin is due to speak at the Valdai Discussion Club's annual meeting in Sochi this afternoon. Livestream here. Putin has spoken at the event in previous years, with a focus on Russian foreign policy aims, and this year is unlikely to prove any different. Kremlin spox Dmitry Peskov said, "Obviously, he'll be talking about the current international] situation, its precursors, and possible ways it could develop," 

• Putin's address comes as the Kremlin criticises the potential for the US to provide intelligence and long-range missiles to Ukraine to allow Kyiv to strike deep into Russian territory. On 1 Oct, WSJ published an article reporting "The U.S. will provide Ukraine with intelligence for long-range missile strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure, [...] The U.S. is also weighing deliveries of Tomahawks and Barracudas and other American-made ground- and air-launched missiles that have ranges of around 500 miles".
• The Kremlin says that if the US does supply Ukraine with Tomahawks, "then it will mean a new serious round of tension", and Russia will have to give an "adequate response".
• As the WSJ article notes, the combination of improved intelligence provision as well as a significant increase in range provided by Tomahawks would "have a far more potent effect than Ukraine’s previous strikes in Russia, causing greater damage to its energy infrastructure and tying up Russian air defenses."

Chart 1. Range Of Western-Made Missiles in Russo-Ukraine Theatre

Source: Daily Telegraph