Putin ally accuses NATO of already being party to Ukraine war

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The chairman of Russia's State Duma, the lower house of parliament, on Friday accused NATO of being a party to military action in Ukraine, suggesting it was already heavily involved in military decision-making.

The comments, by Vyacheslav Volodin, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, came a day after Putin warned that the West would be directly fighting with Russia if it allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with Western-made long-range missiles, a move he said would alter the nature of the conflict.

Volodin, who did not reference documentary evidence to back his assertions, accused the U.S.-led military alliance of helping Ukraine choose which Russian cities to target, of agreeing specific military action, and of giving Kyiv orders.

"The United States, Germany, Britain and France are discussing the possibility of strikes (by Ukraine) using long-range weapons on the territory of our country. This is nothing but an attempt to camouflage and conceal their direct participation in military action," Volodin wrote on his official Telegram channel.

"In fact, the United States and its allies are actually trying to give themselves permission to carry out acts of aggression with missiles against Russia."

He said the use in Ukraine of NATO advisers and instructors had now been complemented by what he called mercenaries and spoke of entire units armed with NATO weaponry.

Reuters could not independently confirm his assertions.

"They (NATO personnel) determine which cities in our country will be attacked, coordinate military actions and give orders. NATO has become a participant in military actions in Ukraine. They are waging war on our country," said Volodin.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)