Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that NATO members in Europe were playing with fire by proposing to allow Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike deep inside Russia, which he said could trigger a world conflict. .
More than two years after Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II, President Putin has increasingly spoken of the risk of a much wider global conflict as the West grapples with the question of what to do about with the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the British newspaper “The Economist” that alliance members should allow Ukraine to strike inside Russia with Western weapons, a view supported by some NATO member states, but not by United States.
“Continued escalation can cause serious consequences,” President Putin told the press during a visit to Tashkent. “If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, given our parity in the field of strategic weapons?”
“It’s hard to say whether they want a global conflict,” Mr. Putin said. The Russian president said Ukrainian attacks on Russia with long-range weapons would need Western satellite, intelligence and military assistance, so the West would be directly involved. He said that sending French troops to Ukraine would be a step towards a global conflict.
Speaking about NATO members, President Putin said that small countries in Europe “must be aware of what they are playing with”, as they had small land areas with very dense populations.
“This is a factor that they should take into account before talking about striking deep into Russian territory,” President Putin said.
RUSSIAN TROOP ADVANCE FURTHER DEBATE IN THE WEST
The start of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2022 caused the greatest damage to relations between Russia and the West in 60 years. The crisis is escalating into what diplomats say is the most dangerous phase yet.
The invasion has killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, forced millions to flee the country and turned entire cities into ruins.
Russia, which controls 18% of Ukraine, is advancing and has opened a new front in the Kharkiv region, fueling a debate in the West about what more it can do after giving Kiev hundreds of billions of dollars in military aid. .
Western leaders and Ukraine have played down Russian warnings about the risk of a wider war involving Russia, the world’s largest nuclear power, and NATO, the world’s most powerful military alliance led by the United States.
Ukraine says it must be able to strike beyond the lines of Russian forces, including on Russian territory, to fight the aggressor.
Russian officials say Moscow’s patience is wearing thin after Ukraine’s repeated attacks on Russian cities, oil refineries and, in recent days, against elements of the nuclear early warning system.
