Ukraine War
Stoltenberg: Reconsider some restrictions on Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has spoken out in favour of lifting some restrictions on the use of the weapons provided. Photo
© Hannes P Albert/dpa
NATO is facing a new challenge in the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. Should Kiev now be allowed to attack targets in Russia with Western weapons?
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on member states to impose some restrictions on the use of weapons provided for the Ukraine. “Under international law, the right to self-defense includes the right to attack legitimate military targets outside Ukraine. That is part of self-defense,” Stoltenberg said in Sofia.
A corresponding declaration on Ukraine was adopted at the spring meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) in Sofia. The Parliamentary Assembly is a discussion forum in which representatives from the 32 NATO member states discuss security and defense policy issues. It cannot make decisions relevant to the alliance.
As an example of a possible use of Western weapons, Stoltenberg cited the Ukrainian region of Kharkiv, where the front line and the border with Russia more or less coincide. Ukraine would be weaker if we continued to support it only half-heartedly, warned the President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA), the Pole Michal Szczerba.
In a video message, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umyerov appealed to the allies to close the airspace over western Ukraine with their air defense systems. Umyerov reiterated that his country is striving for full membership in NATO.
Stoltenberg named three themes for the upcoming NATO summit in Washington in July: improving the defense capabilities of member states, supporting Ukraine and global partnerships with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
Russia accuses NATO of “warlike ecstasy” over Ukraine
The Kremlin has accused NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg of falling into “warlike ecstasy” during the discussion about lifting some restrictions on the use of Western weapons against targets in Russia. “NATO is increasing the level of escalation, NATO is playing with warlike rhetoric and falling into warlike ecstasy,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media during a state visit by President Vladimir Putin to the Uzbek capital Tashkent.