NATO chief welcomes partners' decision to let Ukraine use Western weapons on Russian territory
Фото: AP / Virginia Mayo
Ukraine defends itself against Russian aggression, and self-defense is legitimate under international law, so Kyiv has the right to strike targets on the aggressor's territory.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this in an interview with Radio Svoboda.
"It must be remembered that this is military aggression. Russia attacked another country — and this is a gross violation of international law. And, according to international law, self-defense is legitimate, given what Ukraine is doing, that is, they are defending themselves," the Secretary-General stressed.
The NATO chief welcomed the decision of the partners to allow Ukraine to use the provided Western weapons for strikes against Russia to defend Kharkiv.
He also emphasized that Ukraine should be able to defend itself.
"It would be very difficult if the Ukrainians were forced to admit that artillery batteries, missile batteries, or airfields on the Russian side would be somewhat safe for the Russians since the Ukrainians could not use these weapons against them," Stoltenberg believes.
He refused to answer whether Ukraine can attack radar stations on the territory of Russia but emphasized that the operations must comply with international law and be carried out responsibly.
What is known about the permission to strike on the territory of the Russian Federation
It should be noted that after the start of a new offensive by Russian troops in the Kharkiv region, some European countries started a campaign to ease restrictions on the use of weapons transferred to Ukraine.
Which countries supported Kyiv regarding the use of Western weapons on the territory of Russia:
- Sweden allowed Ukraine to use its weapons to attack the Russian Federation.
- Poland supported Ukraine's right to use Western weapons to attack Russia.
- The Czech Republic supported the possibility of using partners' weapons for defense on the aggressor's territory.
- The Netherlands supported the strikes on the territory of the Russian Federation with Western weapons.
- Ukraine can strike the territory of the Russian Federation with the help of weapons provided by Finland.
- The Baltic states supported the permission to use the transferred weapons for attacks on the territory of the Russian Federation.
- The Biden administration has loosened its long-standing policy barring Ukraine from using American weapons against targets inside Russia. However, certain limitations still remain.
- Germany allowed the Defense Forces of Ukraine to strike Russian territory. At the same time, the radius is quite small.
- The Netherlands is not against Ukraine's use of F-16 fighter jets on the territory of the Russian Federation.
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