Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Thursday that the ongoing conflict in Ukraine could escalate into a "global" war, with the possibility of strikes on Western countries. His remarks came after Russia test-fired an intermediate-range missile capable of carrying nuclear payloads at Ukraine, intensifying the already high tensions in the nearly three-year conflict.
In response to the strike, which hit the Dnipro region, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as a major escalation, while Kyiv's ally, the United States, accused Russia of exacerbating the conflict at every turn. Putin defended the missile launch, which was aimed at military targets, and warned that any countries supplying weapons to Ukraine would be at risk of retaliation.
The missile, known as "Oreshnik," has a range capable of striking the West, raising concerns about the potential global implications of the war. Russia's use of such weapons, including recent claims of launching intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), has been condemned by world leaders, with many calling it reckless behavior.
Despite the rising tensions, the U.S. downplayed the threat posed by Russia's new missile, saying it likely only possesses a small number of these experimental weapons. Meanwhile, the situation has also intensified as Ukraine, for the first time, has launched U.S. and U.K.-supplied missiles into Russian territory, including ATACMS and Storm Shadow systems.
The escalation of missile use follows the approval of Western missile systems for Ukraine, with both sides now increasingly targeting military sites deep within each other’s territory. Amid the heightened missile exchanges, Russia claimed gains on the ground in the Donetsk region, further complicating an already volatile situation.