By Athena Papakosta

THE Vladimir Putin was clear on Wednesday night. Moscow could supply long-range weapons to other countries to attack Western targets.

“If someone thinks that it is possible to supply such weapons to a war zone to attack our territory and create problems for us, why do we not have the right to supply our own weapons of the same class to areas of the world to strike sensitive facilities of these (Western) countries?’ the Russian president pointed out characteristically from Saint Petersburg speaking to international media reporters.

Vladimir Putin, on the eve of the 80th anniversary of Landing in Normandy, chose not to name those countries to which Russia could give weapons. He stopped short of Germany, which recently advocated Ukraine’s use of long-range German weapons against Russian territory. Speaking of a “dangerous step”, he underlined that “when they say that there will be more missiles that will hit targets on Russian soil, then the relations between Russia and Germany are destroyed”.

A few hours earlier, a US senator from South Dakota and a Western official, who has not been named, confirmed to the Associated Press news agency that Ukraine used US weapons in a strike against Russian territory under President Joe Biden’s newly approved guidance, which authorizes the use of US weapons for the limited purpose of defending Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.

The Russian president then warned the West that it was wrong to think that Moscow would not use its nuclear weapons. “For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use them,” he stressed. “We have a nuclear doctrine. Here’s what it says: if someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible to use all the means at our disposal.”

Finally, he dismissed the idea of ​​Russia attacking NATO as “nonsense”.

At the same time, US President Joe Biden is in France making his first state visit to the country to mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy Landings – the largest amphibious operation by far in world military history – which proved to be the beginning of the end of World War II.

Against the backdrop of the beaches of Normandy and with the president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, by his side, the West will choose to restate its support for Ukraine.

Indeed, according to diplomatic sources, the French president is expected to take advantage of the opportunity to announce, within the next few days, France’s intention to send military trainers to Ukraine.

Awaiting the announcements, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, echoing warnings from the Kremlin spokesman, made it clear that French military trainers would be considered legitimate targets of the Russian armed forces during military operations in Ukraine, while maintaining that they are already in Ukrainian territory and that their presence is confirmed by several elements collected by Moscow.