One of Vladimir Putin’s ministers has told the US it needs to take the Russian president’s threats “with utmost seriousness”.
According to the Russian deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, the States risks “fatal consequences” if it lets Ukraine to use American weapons to strike inside Russia.
His warning comes after US president Joe Biden gave Kyiv the heads up to do just that, although only in a limited capacity.
He said Ukraine could use American weapons to reach targets inside Russia which were supporting an attack Ukraine’s Kharkiv region.
According to the Russian state news agency RIA, Ryabkov said: “I would like to warn American leaders against miscalculations that could have fatal consequences.
“For unknown reasons, they underestimate the seriousness of the rebuff they may receive.
“I urge these figures [in the US]... to spend some of their time, which they apparently spend on some kind of video games, judging by the lightness of their approach, on studying what was said in detail by Putin.”
He claimed that Putin has delivered a “very significant warning and it must be taken with the utmost seriousness” last week.
The Russian president claimed there would be “serious consequences” if Western weapons hit his country.
He said: “This constant escalation can lead to serious consequences.
“In Europe, especially in small countries, they should be aware of what they are playing with.”
He threateningly noted some countries had “small territories” but “a dense population”.
He added: “And this factor, which they should keep in mind before they talk about striking deep into Russian territory, is a serious thing.”
Russia has repeatedly warned the West about nuclear war since invading Ukraine and has threatened to escalate the conflict if Nato gets directly involved in the war.
But Nato said last week that it had the right to help Ukraine with its self-defence without technically being part of the war.
The UK and Germany have also allowed Kyiv to use their weaponry to strike inside Russia, according to Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg.