West turning Ukraine into global battlefield, says Putin

Putin criticises US withdrawal from INF Treaty, pledges to develop medium-range missiles in response to US actions

MOSCOW:

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Thursday that the conflict in Ukraine was escalating into a global confrontation, attributing this shift to the United States and Britain enabling Ukraine to target Russia with their weaponry.

He cautioned the West that Moscow might retaliate if such actions continued.

In response to Ukraine's use of US and British missiles, Putin revealed that Russia had deployed a new hypersonic medium-range ballistic missile to strike a Ukrainian military facility, warning that further strikes with similar weapons could occur, though civilians would be notified in advance.

Ukraine had recently conducted attacks using six US-made ATACMS missiles on 19 November and British Storm Shadow missiles along with US-made HIMARS on November 21, following approval from the Biden administration, Putin claimed.

These developments, he asserted, had transformed the conflict from a regional one into a global confrontation instigated by the West.

Putin criticised the United States for pushing the world closer to global conflict, emphasising that Russia would respond firmly to any escalation in hostilities.

He dismissed the ATACMS attack as ineffective but acknowledged that the Storm Shadow missile strike on the Kursk region targeted a command facility, resulting in casualties.

While maintaining that such weaponry would not alter the course of Russia’s military actions in Ukraine, Putin warned that Russia reserved the right to strike military facilities in countries supplying arms used against Russian targets. “There will always be a response,” he said.

Currently, Russia controls 18% of Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, annexed in 2014, and significant portions of the Donbas, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions.

The West and Ukraine regard the 2022 invasion as a land grab reminiscent of imperialism, expressing concerns that a Russian victory might embolden Moscow to attack NATO members.

Putin announced the successful testing of a new medium-range hypersonic missile, named "Oreshnik" (Hazel), by targeting a facility in Dnipro, home to the missile and space enterprise Yuzhmash.

He described the test as a success and highlighted Russia’s ongoing development of short- and medium-range missiles in response to US plans to produce and deploy similar weapons in Europe and Asia.

Criticising the US withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty in 2019, Putin argued that the decision was based on a baseless pretext.

He noted that Russia had imposed a unilateral moratorium on developing missiles prohibited under the INF Treaty and would only reconsider its stance if the US deployed such weapons elsewhere.

"Russia has voluntarily refrained from deploying medium- and shorter-range missiles," Putin said, stressing that future Russian actions would hinge on the West’s behaviour and any threats posed to Moscow.