Moscow fired back at the United Kingdom over statements, made on Friday by Foreign Minister David Cameron, allowing Ukraine to use British weapons for strikes on Russian soil.
The Kremlin condemned “dangerous” rhetoric from Western officials, saying that it was an example of “verbal escalation” that could threaten European security.
Earlier on Friday, Reuters news agency cited Cameron’s statements, made during an official visit to Kyiv, in which he appeared to give a green light to Ukraine using newly supplied British weapons on targets inside Russia.
GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP/Getty Images
The exchange marks the latest escalation in the war of words between Moscow and Western leaders and officials over Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Another very dangerous statement,” Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, told Ria Novosti, Russia state news agency, referencing Cameron’s remarks.
“We see such a verbal escalation on the part of official representatives, we also see at the level of heads of state—when it concerns France, and at a more expert level—when it concerns Great Britain.
“These are direct escalations of tension around the Ukrainian conflict, which potentially may pose a danger to European security, to the entire security architecture of Europe,” Peskov said.
“This is part of a dangerous trend of escalating tension through official statements, and is the cause for our concern,” the spokesperson added.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.