MOSCOW, Sept 30 (Reuters) – Factories in Europe producing arms for Ukraine are legitimate and potential military targets for Russia, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday.
Zakharova told a press briefing that European countries were directly involved in the conflict through their military support for Ukraine, adding that such activity delayed a resolution to the war.
She was responding to a question about Poland’s apparent readiness to host a factory producing Patriot interceptor missiles for Ukraine. NATO and many European countries say they will continue to do everything they can to support Ukraine and help it push back Russian forces and shoot down drones and missiles.
“Weapons factories in European countries that produce arms for Ukraine are potential military targets for Russia, and one should not assume that military factories outside Ukrainian territory which produce weapons for the Kyiv regime will be safe. Anyone who thinks so is mistaken,” said Zakharova.
“European countries are directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict. They are not merely providing aid. By opening arms factories and joint ventures, they are fully involved. And this only delays a resolution to the conflict rather than bringing it closer, as some forces in Europe think or imagine,” she added.
(Reporting by Dmitry AntonovWriting by Maxim RodionovEditing by Andrew Osborn )
