Putin Warns Russia Will Strike 'New Targets' If US Supplies Long-Range Missiles to Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday warned that Russia would strike "new targets" if the U.S. supplies long-range missiles to Ukraine.

Putin's warning was followed by Russian forces launching airstrikes on Kyiv that supposedly destroyed military supplies donated by Western forces. While the Russian president said Kyiv gaining additional weapons "doesn’t change anything in essence," he argued that Biden's actions will only "drag out the armed conflict for as long as possible." Echoing a similar sentiment, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the U.S. of "deliberately pouring oil on the fire."

While President Joe Biden confirmed in an op-ed published last week that the U.S. will send new advanced rocket systems to Kyiv, he was assured by Ukrainian leaders that the missiles wouldn't be used to target Russia. The president has remained critical of Putin's war efforts and emphasized that the U.S. won't become "directly" involved in the conflict.