Vladimir Putin
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin warned that there would be serious consequences if Western countries permitted Ukraine to use its weaponry to strike targets in Russia, as Kyiv has requested.
The warning came as French President Emmanuel Macron said Kyiv should be allowed to neutralize Russian military locations from which Kremlin troops are firing missiles into Ukraine, while President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the world not to get tired of the fight.
Putin’s remarks came after several NATO members, including the alliance’s chief Jens Stoltenberg, urged Ukraine to use its weapons to escalate attacks on Russian soil, after more than two years of war.
While visiting Uzbekistan, Putin said, “This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences”.
“In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with”, Putin continued, stressing that many European countries had small territories and a dense population.
“And this factor, which they should keep in mind before they talk about striking deep into Russian territory, is a serious thing”, Putin added.
Putin went on to say that even if Ukraine’s soldiers carried out the strikes, Western arms dealers would be held responsible.
Putin also stated that while he felt Western military instructors were already acting as mercenaries in Ukraine, any move by countries to send them officially would be another escalation and another step towards a serious conflict in Europe, towards a global conflict.
Ukraine’s top commander indicated Monday that talks were underway with France about sending military instructors to the nation.
Putin cautioned, “We will do what we think is necessary regardless of who is on the territory of Ukraine”.
Following a meeting of EU defence ministers in Brussels, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell stated that European countries were divided on sending military instructors to Ukraine.
Countries including Germany are opposed to taking a move that they believe could lead to direct conflict with a nuclear-armed Russia.
As a part of a bloc-wide mission established in 2022, EU nations have trained 50,000 Ukrainian troops outside of the war-torn nation.
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