By Brad Dress - 06/06/24

Russian President Vladimir Putin says he is considering providing weapons to nations hostile to Western countries, a threat that comes after the U.S. gave Ukraine permission to strike with American-made weapons in a limited area of Russia.

Putin, speaking to international journalists in a rare interview since the war in Ukraine, said President Biden granting that permission to Ukraine would constitute “direct involvement” in the war against Russia.

“We reserve the right to act the same way,” he said on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “The response might by asymmetrical, and we will think about that.”

The U.S. and Germany have both given Ukraine the greenlight to use their weapons to strike inside of Russia. Both countries have limitations on the weapons being used to defend the northeastern region of Kharkiv, where Russian forces mounted a fresh offensive last month.

The reversal came after Ukraine repeatedly pushed the Biden administration to change the policy, which the U.S. had implemented to avoid escalation with Russia. That push was renewed after the Kharkiv offensive, which Ukrainian officials expressed frustration with because Russia was mounting attacks from the nearby Belgorod region without fear of Ukraine hitting them.

The Hill reported that Ukraine has struck into Russia with High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS).

Biden told ABC News during his trip to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day that the U.S. was not “authorizing strikes 200 miles into Russia, and we’re not authorizing strikes on Moscow, on the Kremlin.”

When asked if he was concerned about Putin’s comments that the U.S. was directly participating in the war by giving Ukraine permission for such attacks, Biden said the Russian leader was “not a decent man.”

“He’s a dictator, and he’s struggling to make sure he holds his country together while still keeping this assault going,” Biden said, repeating that the U.S. had only given permission to hit inside of Russia to defend Kharkiv.

Putin said that Russia would defend itself against any attacks from Ukraine by bolstering air defense missiles and that if Moscow were to provide weapons to nations hostile to the U.S. and western allies, “sensitive facilities” of those countries could be targeted.

He argued, however, the U.S. and western allies were the ones escalating tensions.

“They’ve changed the situation for the worst,” he said. “And they will continue to deteriorate the international situation and undermine international security.”