Shortly after Moscow accused Kiev of carrying out drone attacks on three Russian airports, two of which are located hundreds of miles from Ukraine.

Amid fears that this could lead to a major escalation with a nuclear Russia, the US-led NATO military alliance ruled out supplying Kiev with such weapons

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Washington "did not encourage or enable" Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the United States and its allies against crossing what he called "red lines" by supplying Ukraine with long-range weapons.

Explosions were reported Monday at two Russian airports, located in the regions "Ryazan" and "Saratov". Both sites House strategic bombers used to carry out routine missile attacks on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure facilities.

Russia said that another attack took place on Tuesday in the "Kursk" region, which is located on the border with Ukraine.

Russia's latest missile attack on Ukraine took place on Monday, when 70 missiles were fired at targets across the country. The attacks killed four people, according to local officials.

Blinken, in a press briefing, accused Russia of trying to destroy civilian infrastructure that allows people to get heating, water and electricity.

Moscow is now "using winter as a weapon" and "that is the reality that people live day and night in Ukraine,"he said.

Blinken said: "We did not encourage or enable Ukrainians to strike targets inside Russia, but the important thing is to understand what Ukrainians live every day with the continuous Russian aggression against their country."

He added that he was determined to get Ukrainians "the equipment they need in order to defend themselves, their land and freedom".

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, speaking next to Blinken, stressed that the United States would not prevent Ukraine from developing its own capabilities to strike long-range targets.

"The short answer is no," Austin said. We will definitely not do this," he said, adding that Washington has already provided Ukraine with more than 19 billion dollars in security assistance.