Putin Criticizes Western Arms to Ukraine, Warns of Retaliation
Putin Criticizes West's Long-Range Weapons for Ukraine, Warns of Retaliation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the West for delivering long-range weapons to Ukraine, arguing Moscow could arm other countries to strike sensitive Western targets in retaliation.
Speaking at a rare press conference with foreign media, Putin questioned why Russia shouldn't "supply weapons of the same class" to regions where there could be attacks on Western facilities, calling it a potential "asymmetric response" after the West greenlit Ukraine striking targets in Russia.
"Delivering arms to a warzone is always bad. Even more so if those delivering are not just supplying weapons but also controlling them. This is a very serious and very dangerous step," he said, singling out Germany's tank deliveries as provoking a "moral and ethical shock" in Russia over World War II's legacy.
Putin repeated claims that Russia "did not start the war against Ukraine", instead blaming the 2014 pro-Western revolution, though he declined to give Russia's battlefield losses, saying only Ukraine's were five times higher.
The Russian leader also dismissed any difference in U.S.-Russia ties under Donald Trump or Joe Biden, though he called Trump's recent criminal conviction for business fraud "politically motivated" and argued it "burned" US democratic leadership claims.
Putin said Russia and the US remain "in constant contact" over a potential prisoner swap involving jailed American journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested last year on espionage charges, stating "they will decide only on the basis of reciprocity."
