President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that the Ukraine war was escalating into a global conflict, blaming the United States and Britain for allowing Ukraine to use Western-made weapons against Russia. He threatened retaliatory actions, stating that Moscow could respond with new weapons if the situation worsens.
Putin said that Russia had already responded by launching a new type of hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile at a Ukrainian military facility after Ukraine used US-made ATACMS and British Storm Shadow missiles. He further warned that civilians would be notified before any future strikes involving these weapons.
The escalation follows Ukraine’s attacks on Russia with US-made ATACMS on November 19 and Storm Shadow missiles on November 21, which targeted military sites in Russian-controlled regions. Putin claimed that while the ATACMS strike did minimal damage, the Storm Shadow attack on the Kursk region caused casualties.
He emphasized that Russia reserved the right to strike military facilities in countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian targets, warning that any further provocations would be met with decisive retaliation. Putin also remarked that the use of such weapons by Ukraine would not alter the course of the military operation in Ukraine.
Putin also unveiled a new medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile, named "Oreshnik," which was used in a successful strike on a missile and defense enterprise in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. He pointed out that Russia was developing new missiles in response to US plans to deploy similar missiles in Europe and the Far East.
Additionally, Putin criticized the United States for withdrawing from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a move he described as a mistake, and warned that Russia would act based on the West’s actions regarding missile deployments.
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