Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday, that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their arms to attack Russian territory.
Putin made this statement when criticizing the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine by Western countries.
Some countries, including the United States, have given Ukraine the green light to attack targets inside Russia. Such actions could cause “very serious problems,” Putin told foreign reporters.
“If someone believes that it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone in order to attack our territory and cause us problems, then why do we not have the right to supply the same class of weapons to a conflict zone?
“Is it possible that attacks on sensitive facilities of these countries could occur?” the Russian president asked. “So the answer could be asymmetric. We will look at it.”
Putin specifically pointed to Germany, which had recently told Ukraine it was free to attack targets in Russia with German-made long-range weapons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Weapons
The weapons were deployed under a recently approved directive from President Joe Biden authorizing the use of U.S. weapons against targets in Russia for the limited purpose of defending Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv.
The official was not authorized to comment publicly on classified matters and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, acknowledged the attack used U.S. weapons but did not say how he was informed of it.
Biden’s directive authorizes the use of U.S.-made weapons against Russian forces under attack or preparing to attack.
This does not change U.S. policy instructing Ukraine not to use U.S.-supplied ATACMS systems, long-range missiles or other weapons to attack targets inside Russia, U.S. officials said.
Ukraine has been using U.S. weapons in attacks on Russian soil in recent days, U.S. senators and Western officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Heavy fighting has been going on northeast since a new Russian advance across Ukraine’s northern border. Ukraine’s second-largest city is just 30 kilometers from the border.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said the decision to use British weapons rests with Ukraine and insisted Ukraine has the right to attack targets on Russian territory.
Ukraine about this Issue
Ukraine has said North Korean missiles have been used on Ukrainian territory, and Western intelligence agencies claim Russia is using Iranian-made drones in the conflict.
The Russian president was questioned on a range of topics, with the fighting in Ukraine, which has been ongoing for more than two years, taking up most of the session.
Putin claimed that the West had the opportunity to end the fighting in Ukraine but did not take advantage of it, citing a letter he had reportedly written to Biden.
The paper said that hostilities could end in two or three months if the United States stops supplying weapons to Kiev. Asked about Russia’s military losses, Putin said that no country would reveal this information during the war. However, he claimed that Ukraine’s losses were five times higher than Russia’s, without giving details.
He also said that more than 1,300 Russian soldiers are being held in Ukraine, and more than 6,400 Ukrainian soldiers are being held in Russia.
Putin used the St. Petersburg forum as a showcase to promote Russian developments and woo investors. The meeting with journalists took place at Gazprom’s new world headquarters, a needle-shaped 81-story skyscraper overlooking the Gulf of Finland.
Journalists about This Decision
Meetings with journalists have been part of previous sessions, but since the deployment of troops to Ukraine, Putin did not answer questions from Western journalists at the St. Petersburg event.
Last year, journalists from countries Russia considers unfriendly, such as the United States, Britain and the European Union, were not invited, and Western officials and investors also avoided the meeting in the wake of widespread sanctions imposed on Russia over the Ukraine issue.
🚨ALERT: Putin says Russia is considering supplying weapons to actors in other parts of the world to strike countries that supplied weapons to Ukraine. #Putin #Russia #UkraineConflict #Geopolitics 🇷🇺🌍🚀 pic.twitter.com/Cji5gVment
— 𝕏 (@AlertChannel) June 5, 2024
Putin also said that Trump’s felony conviction in last week’s hush money trial was the result of “using the court system as part of an internal political struggle.” Asked about Russia’s military losses, Putin said no country would reveal such information during hostilities.
But without giving further details, he claimed losses in Ukraine were five times those of Russia.
