Putin warns of supplying weapons to attack the West

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has said that his country could arm other countries so that they can attack Western targets.

Mr. Putin expressed his view while he was criticizing the West for sending long-range weapons to Ukraine.

The United States is one of the countries that have Ukraine's permission to attack targets inside Russia.

Mr. Putin told reporters from other countries that this move could cause "very serious problems."

"If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why don't we have the right to supply weapons of the same class to regions of the world where there will be strikes on sensitive facilities of those countries?" Russia's leader said.

Mr. Putin picked out Germany because it just recently told Ukraine it could use long-range weapons made in Germany to attack targets inside Russia.

When they say that there will be more missiles that will hit targets on Russian territory, this definitively destroys Russian-German relations, said Mr Putin.

President Joe Biden of the US has given Ukraine approval to use weapons provided by the US to attack targets in Russia, but only in the area around Kharkiv. It was made clear by the White House that Ukraine can't use long-range ATACMS rockets on Russian land.

In the last few days, Ukraine has used US weapons to attack inside of Russia, a US senator and a Western source told the Associated Press on Wednesday.

Fighting has been going on north-east of Kharkiv since Russia made a new push across Ukraine's northern border. Just 30 km (18 miles) away is Kharkiv, the second city of Ukraine.

Ukrainians should decide how to use British weapons, according to Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary of the UK. He also said that Ukraine has the right to attack targets in Russia.

Ukraine says that North Korean rockets are being used on Ukrainian soil, and spy agencies in the West say that Russia has been using drones made in Iran in the war.

Mr. Putin talked to reporters from other countries at the yearly St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

He also said that people in the West were wrong to think that Russia would never use nuclear weapons.

Take a look at our nuclear policy. If someone does something that threatens our authority and geographic unity, we can use all the tools we have. It shouldn't be taken quickly or on the surface.

Mr. Putin also shot down the idea that Russia wants to attack NATO land.

"Don't act like Russia is your enemy." "You know this is bad for you and will only hurt you?" Mr. Putin said.