Russia issues a strong warning to Britain.
Tuesday 7 May at 04:34
British targets both inside and outside Ukraine can become targets for Russia.
The British ambassador Nigel Casey is said to have learned this when he met the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, writes the state-run Russian news agency RIA.
The announcement comes as a reaction to a statement by the UK’s foreign minister, David Cameron.
He said last week that Ukraine had the right to use British weapons to attack Russia.
– Just as Russia attacks in Ukraine, one can well understand why Ukraine feels the need to ensure that they defend themselves. Ukraine has the absolute right to strike back against Russia, said the foreign minister.
A French ambassador has also been summoned on Monday, the ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced on Telegram.
The reason is that President Emmanuel Macron said a few days ago that he could not rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
– It can be considered preparedness for direct confrontation with Russia, says the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Reuters, Russia summoned the British ambassador for a formal protest following the statements.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is said to have given notice that Cameron’s statements mean that the UK is in fact now part of the conflict.
Russia also warns that British military facilities could become the target of attacks in response to attacks on Russian territory, writes Reuters.
In addition, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Russian army to hold exercises with tactical nuclear weapons on the battlefield. That also as a reaction to the British and French statements, writes RIA.
– They have talked about a preparedness and even an intention to send armed contingents to Ukraine. That is, to actually put NATO soldiers in front of Russian troops, said the president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov, according to the media.
