Many countries supplying weapons to Ukraine have made it a condition that they be used only within Ukrainian borders, including Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and the Donbass.
“This ties the Ukrainians’ hands behind their backs and makes it very difficult for them to guarantee their defense,” noted Stoltenberg at the start of its meeting NATO in the capital of Bulgaria.
Many countries that supply weapons to Ukraine they allow it to use them only on its territory, including Crimea—which Moscow annexed in 2014—and the Donbass, barring it from hitting targets on Russian soil.
“I think the time has come to review some of these restrictions,” Stoltenberg later told reporters on the sidelines of the NATO parliamentary assembly.
Kyiv “has the right to defend itself” and consequently “the right to strike legitimate, military targets outside Ukraine,” he insisted.
The NATO secretary general has previously called for the lifting of Western restrictions.
But, as he underlined today, the decision will be made by the Allies. Some have not imposed restrictions, but others have, he added, without elaborating.
The USAa key supplier of military aid to Ukraine, and some European countries, such as Germany, appear wary of providing weapons to Kiev without any restrictions.
However, according to the protothema, during his visit to Kyiv on May 15, the US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken estimated that the final decision on the use of the weapons it receives will be made by Ukraine.
“We have not encouraged strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately it is Ukraine that will make its own decisions about how it conducts this war,” Blinken had pointed out.
Russia regularly warns the West against any attack on its territory with Western weapons.
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