Putin repeats that Russia will consider sending weapons to West's adversaries

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia would consider sending weapons to adversaries of Western countries that supply arms to Ukraine, repeating a warning issued days earlier.

He did not specify where these weapons might be sent, saying only that it could be “states or even other legal entities that are under certain pressure, including military pressure, from these countries that are sending weapons to Ukraine and inciting it to use them against us, against Russian territory.”

He also stressed that Moscow is not currently doing this.

“If they supply weapons to the combat zone and call for using these weapons against our territory, why don't we have the right to do the same?” Putin said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “But I am not ready to say that we will do it tomorrow either.”

The Russian president had earlier said the Russian economy was growing despite heavy international sanctions and that the country had strengthened economic ties with countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia as he sought to attract investors to the forum. The event has been used by Russia for decades as a showcase for the country’s development, though Western officials and investors have avoided the session since sanctions cut off much of Russia’s trade with Western Europe, the United States and its allies.

Addressing the presidents of Bolivia and Zimbabwe as well as business leaders, Putin said Russia “remains one of the key players in world trade” despite the country being under heavy sanctions for sending troops to Ukraine.

The main driver of Russia's economic growth is the war in Ukraine, which is now as important to the Kremlin economically as it is politically.

Russians found few imported commodities, and most global brands disappeared or were reincarnated as Russian equivalents. But the economic situation has hardly changed for most people, with massive state spending on military equipment and large payments to volunteer soldiers providing a strong boost to the economy.

Putin has strictly controlled his media appearances since sending troops to Ukraine, but he took questions from international journalists, including some from Western countries he has criticized, on the sidelines of the forum on Wednesday.

At the meeting, Putin warned that Russia could provide long-range weapons to other countries to strike Western targets in response to NATO allies allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to attack Russian territory. He also reaffirmed Moscow's willingness to use nuclear weapons if it believes its sovereignty is threatened.

Last year, journalists from countries Russia considers hostile – including the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union – were not invited to the forum.

The Associated Press