bne IntelliNews – Putin warns that Russia could strike countries that supply weapons to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that Russia could supply weapons to other countries who would use them against Western countries if allies continue to supply weapons to Ukraine.

“If someone thinks that it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why do we not have the right to supply our weapons,” Putin said during from a press conference in St. Petersburg. “In other words, the answer may be asymmetrical. We will think about it.”

Russia is allied with various countries skirmishing with the West, such as the Houthi rebels in Yemen, who target Western ships crossing the Red Sea, a major global trade route. Likewise, Moscow and Tehran grew closer and Iran fired missiles directly at Israel for the first time in April.

Putin's comments followed confirmation by a U.S. senator and a Western official that Ukraine had recently used U.S. weapons to strike targets in Russia.

“Delivering weapons into a war zone is always a bad thing. It is even more so if those who deliver them not only deliver weapons, but also control them. This is a very serious and very dangerous step,” he said. said Putin.

A Russian refinery was hit the same day and suffered significant damage that observers believe could have been caused by a US-made HIMARS missile. Since January, Ukraine has targeted Russian refineries using new, home-made long-range drones, but these drones are not powerful enough to cause more than superficial damage that was mostly quickly repaired. Ukraine has so far refrained from using more powerful and precise US-made missiles against targets on Russian soil.

Putin reiterated his assertion that Russia “did not start the war against Ukraine,” blaming the 2014 pro-Western revolution instead.

“Everyone thinks that Russia started the war in Ukraine. I would like to emphasize that no one in the West, in Europe, wants to remember how this tragedy began,” Putin said.

The Biden administration has been reluctant to approve the use of Western-made missiles against targets in Russia for fear of escalating tensions and provoking a Russian response against a Western country – fearing that Putin would play games with his comments from June 5.

However, after Russia intensified its attacks on Kharkiv and Ukrainian regions along the Russian border last month, US President Joe Biden was persuaded to ease restrictions as the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) begins to lose territory. Russia has launched drone and missile attacks from its territory just across the border with impunity thanks to a ban on using American-made missiles to hit targets in Russia.

Russian troops have captured 752 square kilometers of territory since the start of this year, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), while the front line had not moved more than a few kilometers during the most of last year.

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, confirmed the strikes involving U.S. weapons but did not disclose the source of his information. The Guardian reported. Biden's new directive authorizes the use of U.S.-supplied weapons to strike Russian forces in Russia that are attacking or preparing to attack, but limits that authorization to areas “near Kharkiv.”

Ukraine has been authorized to use the limited-range High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) missiles, but the ban on the use of the more powerful and longer-range Military Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) remains in force .

Berlin also recently authorized Ukraine to target certain sites on Russian soil with long-range weapons supplied by Germany, a move that Putin called a “dangerous step” that could harm relations between Berlin and Moscow.

Ukrainian officials continue to pressure the White House and other allies to further relax the ban in hopes of using these missiles to strike high-value targets like oil refineries located much deeper in Russian territory. Ukraine's attacks on Russian oil refineries have reduced production of petroleum products by about 14% this year and are affecting Russian exports of petroleum products.

Ukrainian forces struck a Russian S-300/400 air defense battery in the Belgorod region, according to ISW, likely using a HIMARS on June 2. The air defense system was located about 60 km from the front line in the northern Kharkiv region and more than 80 km away. from the city of Kharkiv, within range of HIMARS, the institute reported.