"These representatives of NATO countries, especially in Europe, especially in small countries, must know what they are playing with," Putin said at a press conference at the end of a visit to Uzbekistan. "They must remember that, as a rule, these are states with small territories, but densely populated," he said, quoted by the Spanish news agency EFE. Putin insisted that this is the factor that Western countries "must take into account before talking about launching attacks against the interior of Russian territory." "This constant escalation could have serious consequences, and if these serious consequences are felt in Europe, how will the United States react?" he asked, alluding to the nuclear parity between the two superpowers. "Do they want a global conflict?" he added. NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg defended over the weekend the possibility that Western allies' weapons could be used by Ukraine to attack Russian territory. "Perhaps it is time for some allies to consider lifting this type of restriction on the use of weapons they send to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said in an interview with the British magazine The Economist. Following the interview, France and Italy refused to allow Ukraine to use weapons supplied to it against targets on Russian territory, while the Czech Republic admitted this possibility. "It is totally logical," Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said at a press conference in Prague. On Monday, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, an institution independent of the Atlantic Alliance, approved a declaration of support for Ukraine's ability to attack military targets in Russia also with weapons supplied by allied countries. The text was approved by 47 of the 56 countries or institutions that make up the body, which serves as a link between NATO and the parliaments of the member countries of the Atlantic Alliance. Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, has been conducting a new offensive since May 10, after having sustained a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the summer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is visiting Portugal today, has repeatedly criticized the delay in the supply of weapons and the allies' refusal to allow them to be used to attack Russian territory. Read also: Putin says that Zelensky is no longer president. "Legitimacy expired" (Portuguese version)