Vladimir Putin warns that Russia could supply weapons to strike its Western allies

June 6 (UPI) — Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted he could supply weapons to US opponents and its Western allies on Wednesday to strike their countries.

Putin made the comments in response to Western allies allowing Ukraine to use their weapons to strike inside Russia, something many of those countries, including the United States, had initially banned of Russia's invasion of Ukraine two years ago.

“If someone considers it possible to supply such weapons to a combat zone to strike our territory and create problems for us, then why do we not have the same right to supply our weapons of the same class to the regions of the world from which strikes will be carried out on sensitive objects of countries that do so in relation to Russia,” Putin said at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

“In other words, the answer could be symmetrical. We will think about it.”

US President Biden last week gave Ukraine the green light to use its equipment to strike Russia, provided the weapons are used for defensive purposes and kyiv cannot use its long-range missiles.

The Institute for the Study of War said Tuesday that a Ukrainian strike against the Russian S-300/400 battery north of the city of Belgorod was “probably” carried out using a rocket system High Mobility American, or HIMARS.

In his speech on Wednesday, Putin pointed the finger at Germany, which joined the United States in allowing Ukraine to strike Russia using its long-range weapons.

“When they say there will be more missiles [that] If the shots hit targets on Russian territory, it definitely destroys Russian-German relations,” Putin said.

Putin also warned on Wednesday that Russia could use “all means at its disposal” when asked about the potential to start a nuclear war.

“For some reason the West believes that Russia will never use it,” he said. “You can’t take this lightly, superficially.”

Russia launched a new offensive in the spring to allow it to conquer territory around the key Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, near the Russian border. This is Russia's second attempt to attack Kharkiv after failing to capture the city on the eve of its invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country needed to be able to use Western weapons across the Russian border to defend Kharkiv.