Putin threatens to send weapons to attack West after kyiv uses US missiles to strike Russia

His comments come after kyiv in recent days used long-range US weapons to strike inside Russian territories. In the final weeks of May, US President Joe Biden finally gave Ukraine the green light to use US weapons to strike targets in Russia, as part of the defense of the city of Kharkiv.

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Wednesday refused to confirm whether kyiv used US-supplied weapons to strike targets in Russia.

“Russian forces are firing into Ukraine just across the border, north of Kharkiv. And the president said it was right that if Russian forces strike Ukraine from Russia into Ukraine, Ukraine has the right to retaliate, including with American-made weapons. » said Sullivan at a press gathering en route to France.

Over the weekend, social media was flooded with videos showing burning military rubble in Russia's Belgorod region. Belgorod, a city in Russia is less than 100 km from Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine.

Yehor Chernev, deputy chairman of the National Security Committee of the Ukrainian Parliament, said The New York Times via text messages indicating that kyiv's armed forces used a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) to target S-300 and S-400 missile launchers approximately 30 km inside Russia .

The Biden administration has refused for months to grant kyiv's request to launch American-made missiles on Russian territory, in order to avoid a new escalation with this nuclear-armed country, which has by past threatened to use nuclear weapons on the battlefield if necessary.

The United States, however, allowed kyiv to use its weapons only in the defense of Kharkiv and on Russian territory near the city. Missiles such as the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and other long-range U.S.-made missiles still cannot be used offensively by Ukraine across the border.

Sabrina Singh, deputy press secretary for the US Department of Defense, reiterated the US position on Ukraine's use of its weapons systems on Wednesday – stating that long-range weapons cannot be used. used to strike deep inside Russian territory.

kyiv has been pushing for permission to launch more powerful missiles such as the ATACMS into Russian territory, according to media reports.

In recent weeks, Russia has intensified its operations in the Kharkiv region, opening a new war front after the Ukrainian armed forces faced a shortage of weapons and ammunition due to the delay of the US Congress in passing the required legislation.

As Russian efforts in northern Ukraine intensified, they captured several villages in Donbass – the eastern region of Ukraine, contested since 2014. The besieged Ukrainian armed forces began to withdraw from the Donbass, with thousands of Russian soldiers. troops massaging around the strategic town of Chasiv Yar.

In recent months, Moscow has captured other strategic cities, including Bakhmut and Avdiivka. One of the main reasons for Ukraine's withdrawal to the east is the shortage of weapons and manpower, according to local media.

Russia's asymmetrical response?

Putin suggested Wednesday that Moscow could take “asymmetric” steps around the world to respond to Western countries allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike inside Russia..

Russian ships and planes are en route to the Caribbean for military exercises in response to the situation in Ukraine. Russian ships are expected to stop in Venezuela and Cuba, as Putin seeks to project Russian naval power, after facing multiple setbacks for his Black Sea fleet, according to the Associated Press.

Kyiv claimed to have destroyed almost a third of the Black Sea Fleet, including its flagship aircraft carrier Moskva in April 2022.

(Edited by Tony Rai)

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