Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened Europe with "serious consequences" if Ukraine is allowed to use long-range precision weapons supplied by the West against Russian territory in the future.
"These NATO representatives, especially in Europe and especially in the small countries, should realise what they are playing with," Putin said in the Uzbek capital Tashkent on Tuesday at the end of a state visit.
He hinted at military counter-attacks. Smaller countries in particular should not forget that their territories are not large and are also densely populated.
Putin, who started the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine more than two years ago, accused the West of continuing escalation. Modern weapons systems such as the ATACMS missile complex are not controlled by Ukrainian soldiers, but by highly qualified NATO specialists based on data from satellite reconnaissance, the Russian president claimed.
So far, the weapons have mainly been aimed at Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.
Putin criticized NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in particular, who is in favour of firing at military targets on Russian territory. Stoltenberg has referred to Ukraine's right to self-defence.
Ukraine is demanding authorization from the US and other Western states to use missiles and cruise missiles to attack Russia in order to combat the enemy more effectively.
So far, Kiev has mainly used drones of its own production for these attacks. Until now, the Russian military has been able to assemble units behind the border for new attacks on Ukrainian territory or bombard cities near the border, such as Kharkiv, with aircraft from a safe position with virtually no interference.
According to Putin, such authorization by Western states would amount to a direct confrontation between Russia and the West. In this context, the 71-year-old once again referred to Russia's strategic nuclear weapons.
He also questioned the possible protection of NATO countries by the US. "If serious consequences for Europe materialize, how will the US behave in view of our parity in strategic weapons?" he asked.
Since the start of the war, the Russian leadership has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons to deter the West from providing greater support for Ukraine.