INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday criticized the West's delivery of long-range weapons to Ukraine, arguing Moscow could arm
move Moscow has called a grave miscalculation."If someone thinks it is possible to supply such weapons to a warzone to attack our territory
and create problems for us, why don't we have the right to supply weapons of the same class to regions of the world where there will be
strikes on sensitive facilities of those [Western] countries," Putin said."That is, the response can be asymmetric
We will think about it," he told reporters."Delivering arms to a warzone is always bad
Even more so if those who are delivering are not just delivering weapons but also controlling them
This is a very serious and very dangerous step," Putin said.The Russian leader singled out Germany, saying that when the first
German-supplied tanks "appeared on Ukrainian soil, it provoked a moral and ethical shock in Russia" because of the legacy of World War
II.Referring to German authorities, he said: "When they say that there will be more missiles which will hit targets on Russian territory,
this definitively destroys Russian-German relations."'Irrecoverable losses'Sitting opposite representatives from news outlets including AFP,
Putin repeated that his country "did not start the war against Ukraine," instead blaming a pro-Western revolution in 2014."Everyone thinks
that Russia started the war in Ukraine
I would like to emphasize that nobody in the West, in Europe, wants to remember how this tragedy started," Putin said.He declined to give
the number of Russia's battlefield losses in the more than two-year conflict, saying only that Ukraine's were five times higher."I can tell
you that as a rule, no one talks about it," Putin said, when asked why Russia had not yet disclosed a figure."If we talk about irrecoverable
losses, the ratio is one to five," he said.The issue of military casualties is extremely sensitive in Russia, where all criticism of the
conflict is banned and "spreading false information" about the army carries a maximum 15-year jail sentence.When asked about the killing of
AFP video journalist Arman Soldin in Ukraine last year, likely as a result of Russian rocket fire, Putin indicated Moscow was ready to help
investigate."We will do everything in our power," he said."We are ready to do this work
I do not know how it could be done in practice since this person died in a warzone."'Burned to the ground'Putin was also probed about what a
there's no difference," he said.However he called Trump's recent criminal charges for business fraud politically motivated, arguing his
conviction "burned" the idea that Washington was a leading democracy."It is obvious all over the world that the prosecution of Trump..
is simply the utilization of the judicial system during an internal political struggle," Putin said."Their supposed leadership in the sphere
of democracy is being burned to the ground," the Russian leader added.Trump became the first former U.S
head of state ever convicted of a crime last week after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 felony charges in a hush-money case.Trump,
who faces an election in November that could see him return to the White House, has praised Putin as a "smart guy."Putin also said Russia
and the United States were in "constant contact" over a possible prisoner exchange that would free jailed U.S
journalist Evan Gershkovich who was arrested on espionage charges last year."The relevant services in the U.S
and Russia are in constant contact with one another and of course they will decide only on the basis of reciprocity," Putin said.
