Russia warns of more extensive strikes in Ukraine if West supplies long-rang rockets

MOSCOW — The Russian foreign minister has warned the West that if it provides Ukraine with long-range rockets, Moscow will respond by taking over larger areas of Ukraine.

Speaking during an online news conference today, Sergey Lavrov says that “the longer the range of weapons you supply, the farther away the line from where neo-Nazis could threaten the Russian Federation will be pushed.”

The US and Britain have announced they will provide Ukraine with multiple rocket-launchers capable of striking targets up to 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. The systems are capable of firing longer range rockets that can hit areas of up to 300 kilometers (186 miles) away, but the US said it wouldn’t supply the rockets.

Asked how Moscow would respond if the US and its allies change their mind and provide Ukraine with long-range rockets, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in televised comments yesterday that Moscow will “draw appropriate conclusions and use our strike means, which we have plenty of, in order to hit the facilities that we haven’t struck yet.”

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