Ukrainian attacks with British weapons will invite retaliation, Russia tells UK

Moscow, May 6 (IANS) Days after UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that Ukraine had the right to use long-range missiles sent by his country to strike deep inside Russia, Moscow on Monday conveyed that this facility could invite retaliation on British targets.

UK's Ambassador to Russia, Nigel Casey was summoned to the Foreign Ministry and told Moscow will retaliate against British targets in Ukraine or elsewhere if Ukraine strikes Russian territory with UK-provided missiles, RT reported.

"Casey was warned that the response to Ukrainian strikes using British weapons on Russian territory could be any British military facilities and equipment on the territory of Ukraine and beyond," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement following the meeting.

Cameron’s statements to the contrary "de facto recognised his country as a party to the conflict", it said, adding that Russia understands Cameron’s comments as "evidence of a serious escalation and confirmation of London’s increasing involvement in military operations on the side of Kiev".

The UK envoy was urged to "think about the inevitable catastrophic consequences of such hostile steps from London and to immediately refute in the most decisive and unequivocal manner the bellicose provocative statements of the head of the Foreign Office".

French Ambassador Pierre Levy was also summoned to the Foreign Ministry. Moscow has not yet disclosed the details of the meeting.

Russia has taken strong exception to French President Emmanuel Macron's pitch for NATO troops in Ukraine to prevent a Russian breakthrough

Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry announced an exercise to test the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons. President Vladimir Putin ordered the drills after “provocative statements and threats” by Western officials, the military said.

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