Putin warns that Russia could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Germany on Wednesday that the use of its weapons by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia would mark a “dangerous step” and he said Moscow could provide long-range weapons to others to strike Western targets.
Such action by the West will further undermine international security and could lead to “very serious problems,” he said.
“That would mark their direct involvement in the war against the Russian Federation, and we reserve the right to act the same way,” Putin added.
He said the action by Germany could ruin relations between Berlin and Moscow.
In a preelection interview, President Vladimir Putin says Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its sovereignty or independence is threatened.
Germany joined the United States recently in authorizing Ukraine to hit some targets on Russian soil with the long-range weapons they are supplying to Kyiv. The deliveries of German tanks to Ukraine came as a shock to many in Russia, Putin said.
“Now if they use missiles to strike facilities on the Russian territory, it will completely ruin Russian-German relations,” he said.
On Wednesday, a Western official and a U.S. senator said Ukraine has used American weapons to strike inside Russia under newly approved guidance from President Biden. It allows U.S. arms to be used for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, which is near the Russian border. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Taking questions from international journalists for the first time since his inauguration last month to a fifth term, Putin also said nothing will change in terms of Russia-U.S. relations regardless of whether Biden or Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election in November.
Vladimir Putin has scoffed at the possibility of Russia launching an attack on a NATO member. Still, he says Western bases hosting Ukraine F-16s would be targets.
“We will work with any president the American people elect,” Putin said, speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.
“I say absolutely, sincerely, I wouldn’t say that we believe that after the election something will change on the Russian track in the American politics,” he added. “We don’t think so. We think nothing that serious will happen.”
Putin also said Trump’s felony conviction at his hush money trial last week was the result of “the use of the court system as part of the internal political struggle.”
The Russian leader faced questions on a wide range of topics from senior news leaders of international news agencies, including the Associated Press, although the war in Ukraine dominated the session.
President Biden gives Ukraine the go-ahead to use American weaponry to strike inside Russia for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, officials say.
Asked about the number of Russian military losses in more than two years of fighting, Putin said that no country would reveal that information during hostilities but claimed without offering proof that Ukraine’s casualties are five times greater than Russia’s.
He also asserted that Ukraine has more than 1,300 Russian troops in captivity, while more than 6,400 Ukrainian soldiers are being held in Russia. The claims could not be independently verified.
Putin has used the annual forum as a showcase for touting Russia’s development and seeking investors. While meetings with journalists were part of previous sessions, he has not taken questions from Western journalists at the St. Petersburg event since his troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
Last year, journalists from countries that Russia regards as unfriendly — including the U.S., the U.K. and European Union nations — were not invited, and Western officials and investors also steered clear of the session after wide-ranging sanctions were imposed on Moscow over Ukraine.
Jordan and Morris write for the Associated Press. AP writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.
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