NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says he’s more confident that Ukraine can successfully defend the city of Kharkiv now that NATO allies have eased restrictions on the use of weapons they supply to hit targets inside Russia.
From: Euromaiden Press BY BENJAMIN LOOIJEN
According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said he’s more confident that Ukraine can successfully defend the city of Kharkiv now that NATO allies have eased restrictions on the use of weapons they supply to hit targets inside Russia.
The NATO chief said this during an interview with RFE/RL on the side-lines of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Prague on 31 May.
Stoltenberg told RFE/RL that the shift in policy, as for example made by NATO members such as Germany on 30 May, was “legitimate“ as Ukraine defends itself, particularly the city of Kharkiv, which lies just 35 kilometers from Ukraine’s border with Russia and has been under almost daily attack since Russia launched a new cross-border offensive about three weeks ago.
Until now, Ukrainian forces had been unable to strike Russian forces massing in Russian territory with Western-supplied weapons, because of concerns by the United States and some of Ukraine’s other Western allies that doing so would escalate the war.
“The right of self-defense also includes the right to strike targets on the territory of the aggressor. And that’s exactly what Ukraine must be able to do,”Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg said it would be very difficult if artillery batteries, missile batteries, and airfields on the Russian side continued to be “safe for Russians” because Ukraine was prevented from using the weapons supplied by NATO allies against them.
Voice of Ukraine 