Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow has the right to respond 'symmetrically' to the actions of Western countries and consider supplying weapons to regions from where 'sensitive targets will be struck', at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
"If others believe it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and cause problems for us, then we reserve the right to reciprocate by supplying weapons of similar calibre to these regions. This approach would ensure a symmetrical response, and we are actively considering this course of action," the head of state said.
Putin also claimed that Ukrainian troops were not using the weaponry alone.
"Ukrainian servicemen at an advanced level can be involved in the selection of targets, expressing priorities and necessities. However, their involvement is limited to such recommendations, as the actual decision to strike a target is not within their purview. The formation of the flight task and the execution of the practice is solely managed by the entities supplying these weapons. For instance, if it involves ATACMS, the responsibility lies with the Pentagon. If [we're talking about] Storm Shadow, then Brits," he added.
Germany and the US recently announced u-turns on allowing Kiev to hit targets inside Russia last week. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had repeatedly called for allies to lift any restrictions on the use of the weapons, while the UK has previously defended Ukraine's right to use military aid in any way it chose.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also triggered a row with allies earlier this year, claiming France and the UK were already helping Kiev target the weapons they had supplied, which the countries had previously denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russia may supply weapons to regions which could strike Western 'facilities' - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow has the right to respond 'symmetrically' to the actions of Western countries and consider supplying weapons to regions from where 'sensitive targets will be struck', at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
"If others believe it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and cause problems for us, then we reserve the right to reciprocate by supplying weapons of similar calibre to these regions. This approach would ensure a symmetrical response, and we are actively considering this course of action," the head of state said.
Putin also claimed that Ukrainian troops were not using the weaponry alone.
"Ukrainian servicemen at an advanced level can be involved in the selection of targets, expressing priorities and necessities. However, their involvement is limited to such recommendations, as the actual decision to strike a target is not within their purview. The formation of the flight task and the execution of the practice is solely managed by the entities supplying these weapons. For instance, if it involves ATACMS, the responsibility lies with the Pentagon. If [we're talking about] Storm Shadow, then Brits," he added.
Germany and the US recently announced u-turns on allowing Kiev to hit targets inside Russia last week. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had repeatedly called for allies to lift any restrictions on the use of the weapons, while the UK has previously defended Ukraine's right to use military aid in any way it chose.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also triggered a row with allies earlier this year, claiming France and the UK were already helping Kiev target the weapons they had supplied, which the countries had previously denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow has the right to respond 'symmetrically' to the actions of Western countries and consider supplying weapons to regions from where 'sensitive targets will be struck', at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Wednesday.
"If others believe it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to strike our territory and cause problems for us, then we reserve the right to reciprocate by supplying weapons of similar calibre to these regions. This approach would ensure a symmetrical response, and we are actively considering this course of action," the head of state said.
Putin also claimed that Ukrainian troops were not using the weaponry alone.
"Ukrainian servicemen at an advanced level can be involved in the selection of targets, expressing priorities and necessities. However, their involvement is limited to such recommendations, as the actual decision to strike a target is not within their purview. The formation of the flight task and the execution of the practice is solely managed by the entities supplying these weapons. For instance, if it involves ATACMS, the responsibility lies with the Pentagon. If [we're talking about] Storm Shadow, then Brits," he added.
Germany and the US recently announced u-turns on allowing Kiev to hit targets inside Russia last week. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had repeatedly called for allies to lift any restrictions on the use of the weapons, while the UK has previously defended Ukraine's right to use military aid in any way it chose.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also triggered a row with allies earlier this year, claiming France and the UK were already helping Kiev target the weapons they had supplied, which the countries had previously denied.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.