Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov announced today, Monday, that the United States may face "severe consequences" if it ignores Moscow's warnings against allowing Ukraine to use the weapons provided by Washington to strike targets within Russia. Ryabkov was commenting on President Joe Biden's decision last week to approve the use of U.S. weapons to hit targets within Russia involved in attacks on the Kharkiv region in Ukraine.
Russian news agency reports quoted Ryabkov as saying, "I would like to warn U.S. leaders of the consequences of miscalculations which could be severe. For reasons unknown, they are underestimating the seriousness of the response they may receive." He referenced statements made by Russian President Vladimir Putin last week, in which he mentioned that NATO countries are playing with fire and risking a larger global conflict, which is one of a series of warnings from Moscow regarding the risk of escalation.
Ryabkov added that Putin made "a very important warning that must be taken extremely seriously." Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlighted earlier in the week that Kyiv is grateful to Washington for allowing it to use the "HIMARS" missile systems provided to them in the Kharkiv region, but he noted that they are insufficient. Russian news agencies reported Ryabkov stating that attempts by Kyiv to attack Russian early warning radar systems would be countered, and Moscow might respond asymmetrically to such actions.
