Russia warns West against long-range weapons for Ukraine
The Hindu
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Moscow would hit new targets if the West supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles
Moscow warned on Monday that it would respond to Western supplies of long-range weapons to Ukraine by stepping up efforts to push Kyiv's forces further from its border.
"The more long-range weapons you supply, the further we will push away from our territory" the line of Ukrainian forces, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Moscow would hit new targets if the West supplies Ukraine with long-range missiles.
Washington and London have defied Mr. Putin's warnings against supplying Kyiv with advanced weapons, saying they would send long-range missile systems to Ukraine.
The U.S. last week announced it would give Kyiv its high mobility artillery rocket system, known as HIMARS, which can simultaneously launch multiple precision-guided missiles and is superior in range and precision to existing systems Ukraine has.
Britain said on Monday it will mirror the United States and send long-range missile systems to Ukraine too.
Ukrainian troops suffered setbacks after retaking parts of flashpoint eastern city Severodonetsk from Russian forces, local officials said on Monday, as the see-saw battle raged on for the strategically important city.