Russia could arm adversaries against West, Putin says

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday said that the Russian government was considering supplying weapons to groups opposed to Western countries, according to Russian state media. On Thursday, another Russian state media report cited Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev echoing Putin’s remarks and calling it a significant change in foreign policy. Russia could place the weapons in places that would be able to strike sensitive locations in Western countries, Putin said. Medvedev specifically singled out the United States, saying that the Kremlin was considering making America and its allies experience the impact of Russian weapons wielded by third parties.

Why are they doing this? U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken last week confirmed that the Biden administration had agreed to allow Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied weapons for limited attacks inside Russia for the sole purpose of defending the region of Kharkiv. Blinken explained that Ukraine had requested the ability to attack Russian forces massing outside the Ukrainian border that were preparing to attack targets inside Ukraine.

Dig deeper: Read my report in The Sift about Blinken confirming that Ukraine could use U.S. weapons against targets in Russia.