The Kremlin again warned Ukraine’s allies not to allow Kiev to hit Russian territory with Western weapons, with President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman promising “consequences” if such attacks occurred.
“It will ultimately be very harmful to the interests of the countries that have chosen the path of escalating tensions,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
The question of whether Kiev should use Western weapons to hit military targets in Russia has grown as fighting intensifies along parts of the Ukraine-Russia border. Kiev is particularly struggling to stop the Russian offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region.
Foreign ministers of the 32 countries of the NATO defense alliance met in Prague on Thursday to discuss the issue, among other things.
Western weapons have so far mainly targeted Russian positions in areas of Ukraine occupied by Moscow forces.
In Vienna, Russian diplomat Konstantin Gavrilov warned the West against crossing the ‘red lines’. He said Moscow has the right to use nuclear weapons in response to aggression – even in the case of an attack with conventional weapons.
He was speaking at an event organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).