Russia warns its response to Kyiv won’t 'be pretty' if Ukraine uses long-range strikes

Top Russian officials warned that if Ukraine started launching long-range strikes with the support of the West, the response won't "be pretty."

“The decision has been made, the carte blanche and all indulgences have been given [to Kyiv], so we are ready for everything,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, according to a Russian state outlet.

“And we will react in a way that will not be pretty,” he continued. 

Western leaders have had discussions this week about whether or not they would allow Kyiv to use weapons supplied by the West to hit targets deep inside Russia.

Some allies of Ukraine have raised concerns that such action would escalate the war with Russia, according to The Hill.

Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that it would change the conflict completely. 

"It would mean that NATO countries, the US, European countries, are at war with Russia," he said.