President Vladimir Putin has warned the West that Russia will strike new targets if the United States started supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles, according to TASS news agency.
In an interview on the Rossiya-1 state television channel, Putin was quoted as saying that if such missiles are supplied, "we will strike at those targets which we have not yet been hitting".
Putin did not name the targets Russia intended to pursue, if Western countries began supplying Ukraine with longer-range missiles.
Ukraine has been seeking Multiple Rocket Launch Systems (MLRS) - such as the M270 and M142 HIMARS to strike troops and weapons stockpiles at the Russian forces' rear.
US President Joe Biden announced plans this week to give Ukraine precision HIMARS rocket systems after receiving
assurances from Kyiv that it would not use them to hit targets inside Russia.
Although Russian officials have warned that the US decision to supply Ukraine with advanced rocket systems could
exacerbate the conflict, Putin said it would not bring on any fundamental changes on the battlefield.
He said: "We understand that this supply (of advance rocket systems) from the United States and some other countries is meant to make up for the losses of this military equipment.
"This is nothing new," he said. "It doesn't change anything in essence."
