Putin threatens to supply missiles to West’s adversaries

That’s according to Radio Liberty, Ukrinform reports.

In an interview with the editors of foreign agencies, Putin said he believes that strikes involving high-precision missiles that the West supplies to Ukraine are impossible without the participation of the Western military, who, according to the Russian president, participate in target selection. 

"We believe that if someone thinks it is possible to deliver such weapons to a combat zone to launch strikes on our territory, creating problems for us, why don’t we have the right to supply our weapons of the same class to those regions around the world where strikes will be launched on sensitive targets of those countries that do this in relation to Russia?" Putin said.

He did not specify to whom Russian missiles could be supplied. Since 2023, American military bases have been attacked several times by Iran-backed militant groups while Western commercial vessels are regularly attacked by Yemen’s Houthis. Iranian missiles and drones are most often used in those strikes. At the same time, Moscow itself is interested in receiving these capabilities from Tehran.

Also, North Korea regularly launches missiles toward South Korea and Japan. According to Western intelligence, Moscow has been buying missile systems from Pyongyang. Putin said Russia "highly appreciates" the fact that South Korea does not directly supply weapons to Ukraine.

In the interview, Putin also stated that Western nations are already sending to Ukraine their military instructors and advisers, claiming they have already been casualties among them, without providing any proof to back his words.

Commenting on the possible delivery of German long-range missiles to Kyiv, Putin said this would "ultimately destroy" relations between Moscow and Berlin.

As reported earlier, in late February, EU spokesman Peter Stano commented on the threats made in Putin’s address to the Federal Assembly. The spokesperson noted that threats and nuclear blackmail against the West are part of Putin's attempt to shift domestic and international attention from the fact that it was the Russian leader who unleashed a brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, therefore being responsible for its consequences.