Moscow: The Kremlin issued a stern warning on Thursday, cautioning Western nations against supplying Ukraine with long-range weaponry that could potentially target Russian territory. This warning came on the heels of President Vladimir Putin’s contemplation of arming adversaries of the West in retaliation.
During a meeting with senior editors of international news agencies in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Putin hinted at Moscow’s deliberation on furnishing advanced long-range arms to the West’s opponents worldwide, similar to those being provided to Ukraine by Western powers.
“We are thinking that if someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone in order to strike at our territory and create problems for us, then why do we not have the right to supply our weapons of the same class to those regions of the world where there will be strikes on sensitive facilities of those countries that are doing this to Russia?” Putin remarked.
Putin’s statements suggested a potential supply of arms to adversaries of the United States, such as Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, which have periodically targeted U.S. troops with rockets and drones. However, it remains unclear to whom Putin would extend support in Britain’s case.
Responding to Putin’s remarks, U.S. President Joe Biden, while commemorating D-Day in France on Thursday, emphasized that Ukraine’s use of U.S.-supplied weapons was limited to targets near the border with Russia, not aimed at striking Moscow or the Kremlin directly.
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Meanwhile, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, asserted that the Kremlin’s warning had been duly noted in the West, emphasizing that any supply of weapons aimed at Russia would have consequences.
The tension escalates as Washington restricts Kyiv from using ATACMS and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons to strike inside Russia. British Foreign Secretary David Cameron affirmed Ukraine’s right to utilize weapons provided by Britain to target Russian locations, leaving the decision to Kyiv.
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Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, and a prominent hawk in the Kremlin, expanded on Moscow’s stance, describing Putin’s remarks as a significant shift in Russian foreign policy. He underscored the potential use of Russian weapons by third parties against common enemies of Russia and its allies.
As the rift over arms supply deepens, tensions between Russia and the West continue to simmer, with potential ramifications for global geopolitics.
