Poland backs Ukraine's right to employ Western weapons to strike Russia

Photo: Shutterstock.com/Albert Beukhof

Alvina Kaminska

Ukraine should have the right to use Western weapons to strike military targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense of Poland, Cezary Tomczyk, stated this, according to PolskieRadio24.

As the representative of the Polish Ministry of Defense noted, there should be no restrictions.

"Today, Russia does what it wants, and Ukraine is somehow restricted by some countries; this must be put to an end.

Poland's position is clear: Ukraine should be able to fight with the equipment it receives; Poland does not object to this," he said.

At the same time, Tomczyk admitted that few countries have such a position.

For reference:

President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that the possibility of using Western weapons on the territory of Russia is not an offensive but the protection of Ukrainians.

In turn, the Helsinki Commission of the USA also stated that the United States of America should allow Ukraine to strike with American weapons against the forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the border regions of Russia.

It should be noted that Sweden allowed Ukraine to use its weapons to attack Russia.

However, the Pentagon said that American weapons are intended for use on the territory of Ukraine.

On May 28, the Prime Minister of Belgium explained during a press conference that the 30 F-16 fighter jets that Belgium has pledged to hand over to Ukraine can only be used on Ukrainian territory. The same applies to other weapons provided for in the security agreement.

In turn, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine's use of Western weapons against targets in Russia would not make NATO part of the conflict. The head of the Alliance has redoubled efforts to urge allies to lift restrictions on striking targets in Russia.

Until now, the US and Germany have been particularly wary of sending weapons to Ukraine capable of hitting targets inside Russia due to the risk of a broader conflict.

After several months of requests from Ukraine, the US sent long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine earlier this year but noted that they can only be used on occupied territory.

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