NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Western countries should lift a ban on Ukraine using missiles to attack targets on Russian soil.
With the United States reportedly reviewing a ban on Ukraine using American weapons against targets in Russia, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the increased tensions were justified and probably necessary for Kiev to deter further aggression from Moscow, which seeks to expand its influence further inside the former Soviet Union.
“I think it’s time for our allies to consider whether they should lift some of the restrictions on the use of the weapons that they provided to Ukraine, especially now there’s a lot of fighting going on in Kharkiv, close to the border,” Stoltenberg said. Said economist.
“Denying Ukraine the ability to use these weapons against legitimate military targets on Russian territory would make it extremely difficult for Ukraine to defend itself.”
The outgoing NATO Secretary-General claimed that Russia was waging a war of aggression, and therefore Ukraine had the right to defend itself, “including by attacking targets on Russian territory.”
“This is legal and legitimate. We support Ukraine in defending its rights, which should include the ability to strike targets on Russian territory,” the Norwegian politician said.
Earlier this month, the UK became the first NATO member state to authorise Ukraine to attack targets in Russia using weapons including Storm Shadow missiles, with Foreign Secretary David Cameron saying Ukraine “absolutely has the right to strike back against Russia”.
NATO chief warns conflict with Russia could last ‘decades’, urges Western countries to boost arms productionhttps://t.co/oP3wzztUcE
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 11, 2024
The announcement from London represented an unusual break with Washington, with President Biden saying the United States would not allow attacks on Russia with Russian equipment “to avoid World War III.”
However, there is report Starting this week The New York TimesBut there are moves under the leadership of Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lift the ban and allow Kiev to use American weapons on Russian territory.
Victoria Nuland, who stepped down as undersecretary of state for political affairs in March, has also publicly supported a change in policy, telling ABC earlier this month: “If the attacks are coming directly across Russia’s borders, then I think those bases should be targeted.”
“I think the time has come to give Ukraine more support to attack bases inside Russia,” added Nuland, who has been accused by Moscow and others of playing a “key role” in fomenting the 2014 Euromaidan protests that led to the ouster of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Times Washington’s provision not to use American missiles against Russia gave the Kremlin a “significant advantage.”
“This is part of our defense,” he said. “How can we protect ourselves from these attacks? This is the only way.”
The idea has sparked a backlash among NATO allies, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz adamantly refusing to provide Ukraine with long-range Taurus missiles out of concern that if German-made weapons were used against targets inside Russia, it could spark a direct conflict between Moscow and key European powers.
Zelensky vows ‘no compromise’ with Russia, insists Moscow will keep fightinghttps://t.co/yr9j7wd2p9
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) April 6, 2024
