Russia on Monday warned the United Kingdom that if British weapons were used by Ukraine to attack Russian territory, Moscow could respond by striking British military facilities and equipment in Ukraine and beyond.
The warning was issued to Nigel Casey, the British ambassador to Russia, by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The ministry said Casey was called for a formal protest after U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron said last week that Ukraine should be free to strike targets on Russian territory with weapons it receives from London.
The use of weapons provided by Kyiv's Western allies to strike Russian territory has been called as a major red line for Russian President Vladimir Putin that many analysts predict could lead to an escalation in Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. But while Ukraine's military has increasingly targeted military sites and refineries on Russian soil, Kyiv has maintained that it has thus far only used domestically produced drones and missiles for such strikes.
However, in a May 3 interview with Reuters during a visit to Kyiv, Cameron said Ukraine "has the right" to use U.K.-supplied weapons inside Russia.
"Just as Russia is striking inside Ukraine, you can quite understand why Ukraine feels the need to make sure it's defending itself," Cameron said.
In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Cameron's statement "directly contradicts the previously sounded assurances of the British side when transferring long-range cruise missiles" to Kyiv that "under no circumstances would they be used on Russian territory."
"Thus, the head of the Foreign Office [Cameron] disavowed this position, de facto recognizing his country as a party to the conflict," the statement said.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson for U.K.'s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Newsweek that despite what Russia reported, Casey was not summoned.
"He met Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials for a diplomatic meeting," the spokesperson said in an email. "The Ambassador reiterated the U.K.'s support for Ukraine in the face of unprovoked Russian aggression and restated the U.K.'s position on providing support to Ukraine."
Newsweek also reached out to Cameron's office and the Russian Foreign Ministry via email on Monday for comment.
The foreign ministry's message continued by saying Russia views Cameron's words as "evidence of a serious escalation and confirmation of London's increasing involvement in military operations" on the side of Ukraine.
"Casey was warned that in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory with British weapons, any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and abroad" could be targeted, the foreign ministry said.
The Moscow department called on Casey to consider "the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London" and to disavow Cameron's statement regarding the use of British weapons by Kyiv on Russia territory.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is an Associate Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more
