NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg argued that countries that have provided military support to Ukraine should allow them to use those weapons to hit targets deep within Russian territory.
Over the course of the war, the United States, as well as other NATO allies, has restricted Ukraine from using its weapons to hit targets within Russia, though the U.S. loosened those rules a couple of months ago when Russia began attacking Kharkiv from right behind the border. There has long been a concern among Western countries about Russian escalation.
“The right of self-defense includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor, Russia,” Stoltenberg said during a Thursday afternoon press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has made the same argument for weeks.
A top adviser to Zelensky, Andriy Yermak, told reporters earlier in the day on the sidelines of the NATO summit that the restrictions have made it “impossible to fight” effectively.
The Biden administration reiterated this week that there had been no loosening in the restrictions after Russia carried out a massive aerial attack against several Ukrainian cities on Monday. Dozens of people were killed in the attack, while a hospital in Kyiv was among the buildings that were struck.
Back on May 31, Secretary of State Antony Blinken seemingly left the possibility open to changing the restrictions, saying the U.S. would, “as necessary, adapt and adjust,” but that hasn’t happened to date.
“There’s been no change in our policy. You saw the president several weeks ago gave guidance to Ukraine that they can use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets just over the border. That’s still the case,” National Security Council coordinator John Kirby said.
A NATO official told reporters earlier in the day that this decision is left up to each country, though the official said Stoltenberg has said, “On a number of occasions that he would like to encourage allies to allow Ukrainians the full flexibility to do what they require.”
Stoltenberg noted that for most of the conflict, targeting Russian forces meant striking targets within Ukrainian territory, while in recent weeks, Russian forces have been launching attacks targeting Kharkiv from right over the border in Russian territory, which is what has prompted this discussion on loosing restrictions.
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“The only way to hit military targets, missile launchers, or airfields, which are conducting attacks against Ukraine, is to hit military targets on Russian territory,” he said. “Therefore, I welcome that allies have reduced, [loosened] their restrictions.”
“There is no doubt that Ukraine has the right to use weapons they have received … to hit legitimate military targets on Russian territory,” he added.
