Author: Vladimir Soldakin and Guy Falconbridge
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Tuesday that European Nato members were playing with fire by proposing to let Ukraine use Western weapons to attack Russian territory, which he said could trigger a global conflict.
More than two years into Europe’s worst ground war since World War II, Putin has increasingly spoken of the risk of a wider global conflict as the West grapples with the advance of Russian troops in Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told The Economist that alliance members should let Ukraine use Western weapons to penetrate deep into Russia, a view supported by some NATO members but not the United States.
“The continued escalation of the situation could lead to serious consequences,” Putin told reporters in Tashkent. “If these serious consequences occur in Europe, how will the United States behave, given our equality in the field of strategic weapons?”
“It’s hard to say – do they want a global conflict?”
Putin said that Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons to attack Russia requires Western satellites, intelligence and military help, so the West will be directly involved. He said sending French troops to Ukraine would be a step toward a global conflict.
Referring to NATO members in Europe, Putin said small countries there “should realize what game they are playing” because of their small land areas and very dense populations.
“This is a factor they should keep in mind before they talk about going deep into Russian territory,” Putin said.
Russia’s advances spark debate in the West
Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the worst rupture in relations with the West in 60 years, and the crisis is escalating into what diplomats say is its most dangerous phase yet.
The invasion killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian civilians, forced millions to flee abroad, and reduced communities and entire cities to rubble.
Russia, which controls 18% of Ukraine, is advancing and opening a new front in the Kharkiv region, sparking a debate in the West over what it can do after sending hundreds of billions of dollars in aid, weapons and intelligence to Kiev. What can be done.
Western leaders and Ukraine have played down Russian warnings about the risk of a wider war between Russia, the world’s largest nuclear power, and NATO, the world’s most powerful military alliance led by the United States.
Ukraine says it should be able to strike back behind Russian defenses, including on Russian sovereign territory, to strike back.
But Russian officials say Moscow’s patience is wearing thin as Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian cities, oil refineries and even parts of its nuclear warning system in recent days.
When asked by Russian state television about the legitimacy of Ukrainian President Zelensky, Putin said that the only legitimate authority in Ukraine now is the parliament, and its head should be empowered.
Although Zelenskiy is out of office under martial law imposed after the invasion, he has yet to face elections.
