Vladimir Putin’s threat: I may give allies missiles to hit the West

Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied he has “imperial ambitions” to expand Russia’s borders. Photo / AP

• Vladimir Putin is considering supplying allies with long-range missiles after Nato arms Ukraine.
• Western nations recently allowed Ukraine to use their weapons against targets inside Russia.
• Putin warned such actions could severely damage relations and escalate conflicts.

Russia will consider supplying its allies with long-range missiles that could threaten the West after Ukraine was allowed to fire Nato weapons into its territory, Vladimir Putin has said.

In a heated interview with Western media [in which he also dismissed Russia’s threat to Nato as “b----cks”] the Russian President said Kyiv’s use of weapons from its Western backers in attacks on Russia “marks their direct involvement” in the Ukraine war.

“If they consider it possible to deliver such weapons to the combat zone to launch strikes on our territory and create problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply weapons of the same type to some regions of the world, where they can be used to launch strikes on sensitive facilities of the countries that do it to Russia?” he asked.

“We will think about it.”

“Delivering arms to a warzone is always bad. Even more so if those who are delivering are not just delivering weapons but also controlling them,” he said, repeating accusations that Western military advisers are helping to programme long-range missiles like the Storm Shadow to attack Russia.

It was not immediately clear which “regions” or allies Putin was referring to, but Russia has close ties to Iran, Syria and North Korea, and has been courting several countries in Africa.

Britain, Germany, France and the United States recently changed their rules to allow their weapons to be used by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia to prevent a renewed invasion from the north.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Western official and US Senator said Ukraine had used US weapons to bomb targets across the border, after gaining Joe Biden’s approval.

The US President’s new guidance allows US arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city.

Putin singled out Germany in his comments to Western journalists gathered in St Petersburg for a major economic forum, warning that the use of its weapons would mark a “dangerous step” and ruin relations between Berlin and Moscow.

“When German tanks first appeared on Ukrainian soil, it already produced such a moral ethical shock in Russia, because relations towards [Germany] in Russian society had always been very good,” he said.

“Now, when they say that some more missiles will appear that will strike targets on Russian territory, this, of course, is ultimately destroying Russo-German relations.”

In the press conference with the heads of major Western news agencies, Putin denied that he had “imperial ambitions” to expand Russia’s borders.

“They’ve come up with this idea that Russia wants to attack Nato,” he said, banging his fist on the table.

“Have you lost your mind? Are you as thick as two short planks? Who made this up? It’s nonsense, it’s b----cks,” he said, according to an AFP translation.

“There is no need to look for some imperial ambitions of ours. There are none.”

Putin has barely addressed international journalists since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine and he has not taken questions from Western journalists since the invasion.

Russia denied for months that it was preparing a military offensive in Ukraine before launching the assault, accusing Nato powers of trying to use their Ukrainian ally to harm Russia.

Despite denying the possibility of attacking Nato countries, Putin cautioned the West that Russia could use “all available means” to defend itself if its sovereignty or territorial integrity were threatened.

He said that Russia’s nuclear doctrine permitted its weapons to be used in response to several threats.

“For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it,” Putin said.

“We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly, superficially.”

Putin also touched upon Russia-US relations, telling journalists that nothing would change between the two countries regardless of whether Biden or Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November.

“We will work with any president the American people elect,” Putin said.

“I say absolutely sincerely, I wouldn’t say that we believe that after the election something will change on the Russian track in American politics,” he added.

“We don’t think so. We think nothing that serious will happen.”

Putin declined to give the number of Russia’s battlefield losses in conflict with Ukraine, which has raged for more than two years, saying only that Ukraine’s were five times higher.

“I can tell you that as a rule, no one talks about it,” Putin said when asked why Russia had not disclosed a figure.

“If we talk about irrecoverable losses, the ratio is one to five.”

The issue of military casualties is extremely sensitive in Russia.

All criticism of the conflict is banned and “spreading false information” about the army carries a maximum 15-year jail sentence.