Vladimir Putin: Russia will attack Ukraine further If US does this
PremiumRussian President Vladimir Putin has warned the US that, if it continues to supply Ukraine with longer-range missiles, Moscow will strike new targets.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the United States that Moscow would strike new targets if Washington started supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, according to media reports. The Russian leader also addressed US multiple launch rocket system delivery, responding to a reporter's remark that these systems could also launch long-range rockets.
"In my view, all this fuss over additional deliveries of armaments generally pursues the sole objective of stretching out the armed conflict as long as possible," TASS news agency quoted Vladimir Putin as saying in a TV interview.
If Kiev receives long-range rockets, Russia will draw conclusions and hit those facilities that are now unaffected, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"If it now comes to rockets and they are supplied, we will draw conclusions from that and employ our weapons that we have in sufficient quantities to strike those facilities that we are not attacking so far," Putin warned.
According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the supply of US multiple launch rocket systems to Ukraine changed nothing because Kiev already possessed an inventory of these arms, including rockets of this range, and is only refilling its stock.
"There is nothing new about that," the Russian president said. "These are all multiple launch rocket systems and the Ukrainian army operates similar Soviet-and Russian-made Grad, Smerch and Uragan rocket systems."
The Russian president also addressed Kiev's supposed guarantees to the West that these rocket systems would not be utilised against Russian soil.
""This has nothing to do with trust or distrust for the Ukrainian regime because this depends on the types of rockets that the Americans will supply," Vladimir Putin stated.
According to Putin, the Ukrainian army's combat inventory had roughly 515 such rocket systems at the start of the special operation in Ukraine, with 380 of them being eliminated.
On June 1, the US government stated that it would send Ukraine with a fresh military aid package, including HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System) weaponry and ammunition. The initial batch would feature four rocket systems.
The strike range of a light HIMARS wheeled rocket launcher would not exceed 80 kilometres, according to US authorities. Kiev promised that the US rocket systems would not be deployed against targets on Russian soil, as the US administration demanded. On June 2, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed Kiev's pledges that it would not employ US rockets against targets on Russian soil were meaningless and untrustworthy.