Putin threatens Western countries with "serious consequences" if Ukraine is allowed to strike at Russian territory
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has said that Moscow is closely following the discussion of Western countries on allowing the Ukrainian Armed Forces to use the long-range weapons provided to them on Russian territory.
The Russian leader said this during his visit to Uzbekistan, Radio Liberty reports, Censor.NET informs.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has threatened Ukraine's allies who provide it with long-range weapons. The dictator has threatened "serious consequences" for Western countries that allow Kyiv to use their weapons to strike at Russian territory. At the same time, the Kremlin leader made it clear that his threats were primarily addressed to European countries.
"Representatives of NATO countries, especially in Europe, especially in small countries, should understand what they are playing with. They should remember that they are states with small territories and dense populations. They need to keep this factor in mind before talking about striking deep into Russia," the Russian dictator said.
The Russian leader also once again hinted at nuclear weapons possessed by Russia.
"If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, bearing in mind our strategic arms parity?" he said.
Strikes by Western weapons on the territory of the Russian Federation
Most NATO countries do not support Ukraine's strikes with Western weapons on Russian territory. The United States, in particular, has repeatedly stated its position. Recently, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that Washington neither encourages nor enables Ukraine to strike with US weapons on Russian territory. However, Ukraine decides on its own how to use its own weapons.
Italy and Germany are also against Ukraine's attacks on Russia with Western weapons.
At the same time, the United Kingdom has allowed Ukraine to use its weapons against targets in the Russian Federation. Sweden, as well as the Czech Republic, the Baltic States and Finland, have also granted permission.
Recently, the EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that some EU countries that supplied Ukraine with weapons allowed Kyiv to use their weapons to strike targets in Russia, but did not say which ones. He also expressed hope that the number of EU states that would agree to lift restrictions on Ukraine's strikes on targets in Russia with Western weapons would increase.
