Ukraine must be able to use weapons supplied by Western countries to strike Russian military sites. Emmanuel Macron further ignites the debate on the use of the weapons that NATO and the EU supply to Kiev in the war against Russia. Ukraine has to face the enemy’s offensive in the Kharkiv region, on the border between the two countries.
Moscow launches missiles daily from its territory, which has become a ‘safe zone’, without the risk of the launch bases being hit. The topic raised by the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, becomes a priority on the agenda of the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance.
Macron breaks the delay
At the end of the day, comes the ‘heavy’ position of Macron, who in recent months has even gone so far as to hypothesize the sending of soldiers to Ukraine. “We think that we should allow them to neutralize military sites where the missiles are launched from, where Ukraine is attacked from,” says the French president, stressing however that “we should not allow them to touch other targets in Russia, and of course civilian facilities.”
Macron speaks alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who follows a different line: Germany, which has so far refused to supply Taurus long-range missiles, does not want its weapons to be used to strike Russian territory. The French president becomes the point of reference for a ‘current’ that includes the United Kingdom, the Baltic countries, Poland and the Netherlands.
The debate in the EU
The issue is on the table of NATO and also of the EU. Ukraine has the “right to defend itself” hitting Russia even on its territory because the “risk of escalation” must be “balanced” with that of defence, says EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
It is “clear” that for Ukraine to strike “military targets” on Russian territory to defend itself from attacks is “legitimate from the point of view of international law”, but it is “equally clear” that the decision to remove restrictions on the use of the weapons supplied to Kiev “is up to each individual member state. No one can force them” to do so.
“Some,” who were previously perplexed, continues Borrell, “have changed their minds and today have agreed to remove those restrictions, while” others continue to be reluctant to make that decision. I understand the doubts” of those who believe it is appropriate to maintain the ban “but in life you have to make choices. I know that some countries are strongly against it, others are absolutely in favor.”
“I cannot say – continues the High Representative – what the majority is, but no one can prevent an EU country from supplying Ukraine with a weapon which can then be used on Russian territory. We cannot prevent it, just as we cannot force it to do so.”
Putin, the threats to NATO and Europe
In the front row, observing debate and developments, Vladimir Putin. The Russian president, from Uzbekistan, sends clear messages. NATO countries, especially European ones, “must be aware of what they are playing with. These are serious things and we are monitoring them with the utmost attention”, says Putin. The threat is explicit: “The governments of NATO countries should remember that the members of the Alliance, as a rule, are small states with a very high population density”, says the Kremlin leader, who never misses an opportunity to delegitimize Stoltenberg: “I remember when he was prime minister” of Norway “and he didn’t suffer from dementia.”
Putin raises the fear of escalation, which would be inevitable if Kiev’s partners were to send soldiers to Ukraine: “I don’t think this is the right decision. It is an escalation and another step towards a serious conflict in Europe and globally” . There is no doubt, he says, about the presence of Western mercenaries in Ukraine, including military instructors. “As for the possibility that mercenaries are in Ukraine, yes, we are well aware of that. There is nothing new. What the military in Ukraine is talking about now has been there for a long time. We hear speeches in English, French and Polish on the airwaves. We know they are there,” he says again.
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