Russian President Vladimir Putin has threatened an "asymmetric response" if Russian territory is attacked by Ukraine with Western-supplied weapons.
"We are thinking that if anyone considers it possible to deliver weapons to the war zone to carry out attacks on our territory (...), why shouldn't we have the right to place such weapons in regions of the world where attacks are carried out [on Western nations]?" Putin said in St Petersburg on Wednesday at a press conference with major international news agencies, including dpa.
Putin added: "This means that the response can be asymmetric. We are thinking about it."
Putin was responding to a question about the delivery of far-reaching weapons to Ukraine, including ATACMS missiles from the United States.
Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion since February 2022. Recently, several countries - including Germany and the USA - authorized Kiev to use Western-supplied weapons on Russian border territories to defend the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
The press conference in St Petersburg is the first of its kind since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.
Putin is currently hosting the 27th edition of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. Moscow is attempting to present itself as a stable economic power despite Western sanctions.
