NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Thursday for allowing Ukraine to use Western weapons to strike targets inside Russia.
“In recent weeks and months, the majority of violent battles have taken place along the border between Russia and Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said at the beginning of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers before a dinner that preceded the meeting.
“So, I think it’s time to reconsider some of those restrictions to enable the Ukrainians to truly defend themselves,” the NATO Secretary General added.
The two-day meeting in Prague, the Czech capital, will focus on efforts to reach a support package for Ukraine at the NATO summit scheduled to be held in Washington next July.
But the debate over whether Kiev should be allowed to use weapons it received from its Western backers to strike targets inside Russian territory dominates the talks.
Ukraine is pressuring its supporters, led by the United States, to allow it to use the long-range weapons they supply to target Russian territory.
Some countries, including Britain and the Netherlands, say that Kiev has the right to use those countries’ weapons to strike military targets in Russia.
But the United States and Germany have so far opposed allowing Kiev to launch cross-border strikes for fear that this would drag them towards a direct confrontation with Moscow.
French President Emmanuel Macron appeared to change his position on Tuesday when he said that Ukraine should be allowed to “neutralize” bases in Russia used to launch strikes.
However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed that Ukraine must move within the limits of the law, while emphasizing that Berlin did not supply Kiev with weapons for use in striking Russia.
Across the Atlantic, the White House stressed that it still opposes Ukraine’s use of American weapons to strike Russian targets, although Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hinted at the possibility of changing this strategy.
President Vladimir Putin warned of “dangerous consequences” if Western countries give Ukraine the green light.
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