Putin Claims Russia May Supply Long-Range Weapons to Enemies of West in Retaliation for Ukraine Support
Vladimir Putin has claimed Russia could retaliate in kind against those permitting Ukraine to target Russia with their long-range missiles—by providing such weapons to countries within striking distance of Western nations.
In wide-ranging remarks at his annual economic forum in St Petersburg, the Russian president sought to insist that Moscow “does not care” about the upcoming US election, claimed candidate Donald Trump’s hush money conviction was “political,” and dismissed fears that Russia wants to attack NATO as “nonsense.”
But he warned that the United States and Germany’s recent authorization for Ukraine to use their weapons to hit specific Russian targets close to Kharkiv could lead to “very serious problems,” calling Berlin’s decision a “very dangerous step.”
“That would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way,” Putin told a three-hour meeting with the senior editors of international news agencies.
Because using such Western weapons involves military personnel of those countries controlling the missiles and selecting targets, Putin claimed Moscow could take “asymmetrical” steps elsewhere in the world.
“If they consider it possible to deliver such weapons to the combat zone to launch strikes on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply weapons of the same type to some regions of the world where they can be used to launch strikes on sensitive facilities of the countries that do it to Russia?” he said.
“We will think about it,” Putin added.
Source: The Independent
