Putin Threatens to Strike the Western Countries Supplying Ukraine with Weapons

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning to countries allowing Ukraine to utilize their weapons against targets within Russia. Speaking to foreign journalists at Gazprom's new headquarters in St. Petersburg, Putin threatened "very serious problems" for these countries, stating that he would consider providing missiles to third parties capable of launching attacks on Western nations.

Addressing questions about the use of nuclear weapons in the Ukraine conflict, Putin reaffirmed Russia's nuclear doctrine, which permits the use of such weapons to defend the country's sovereignty or territorial integrity. He assured that Russia has no intentions of attacking NATO, adding, "lest you think we are crazy or something."

Putin accused the United States and Great Britain of making the decisions to strike Russian targets with ATACMS operational-tactical missiles and Storm Shadow cruise missiles, while Ukraine merely participates in selecting the targets. This assertion was reported by the Russian news agency Interfax. He highlighted that any missile strikes from German missiles on Russian targets would "definitely destroy Russian-German relations."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg recently urged from Sofia for the reconsideration of restrictions to better protect Kyiv from increased air attacks. Following this, it was revealed that the US and Germany had granted permission for Ukraine to use such weapons for defensive purposes in the northern parts of the country. Ukraine has confirmed its deployment of these high-tech long-range missiles to counter Russian assaults.

Putin also noted that Russia is enhancing its air defenses to counter Western weaponry. He acknowledged the impact of Western sanctions on Russia's economic growth, pointing out that the exodus of over 1,000 Western companies since the war's onset has hindered economic progress. Despite seizing Western plants in Russia, he emphasized the need for significant investment to achieve technological independence.

Germany's role in the conflict was bluntly criticized by Putin, reflecting the strain in Russian-German relations due to the war. He did not provide figures on Russian losses, which are believed by Ukraine and Western military analysts to be higher than Ukrainian casualties. The president mentioned that taking over Western companies' operations in Russia has not fully mitigated the economic slowdown, indicating that substantial resources would be allocated to bridge the technological gaps.