Putin: Possible supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine threatens US relationship with Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that any supply of long-range missiles to Ukraine would threaten the U.S. relationship with Russia, but that Moscow’s defense systems will swiftly adopt to the new weaponry. 

Putin, during a foreign policy forum in Sochi, Russia, said the U.S. potentially sending Tomahawk cruise missiles to Ukraine will indicate a “qualitatively new stage of escalation, including in relations between Russia and the U.S.” 

“It will certainly not change the balance of force on the battlefield,” he added later at the event, The Associated Press reported.

President Trump has criticized Putin in recent days, writing in late September that Ukraine could win back all of its land and compared Russia’s three-and-a-half-year invasion of its neighbor to a “paper tiger.” 

Putin fired back during the forum, claiming Russia continues to make gains on the frontlines. 

“We are fighting against the entire bloc of NATO and we keep moving, keep advancing and feel confident and we are a paper tiger; what NATO itself is? A paper tiger? the Russian leader said. Go and deal with this paper tiger then.”

He has, however, praised Trump for his effort to negotiate an end to the Russia-Ukraine war and added that the August summit between the two leaders in Alaska was productive. 

“It was good that we made an attempt to search for and find possible ways to settle the Ukrainian crisis,” Putin said, according to the AP. 

The Russian president also said he felt “comfortable” speaking to Trump.

While at the forum, Putin warned Ukraine’s allies in Europe against seizing vessels that ship Russian oil to various markets, arguing it could be met with a powerful response and rattle the international oil markets.