Austria’s Defense Minister claims that NATO’s permission for Ukraine to use supplied weapons to attack Russian territory has crossed Moscow’s “red line.”
In an interview with Die Presse published on June 9, Austrian Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner criticized some Western countries for allowing Ukraine to use supplied weapons to attack Russian soil.
“This has crossed the red line,” Tanner stated when asked to comment on the U.S., France, Germany, and other NATO members permitting Kyiv to use supplied weapons for cross-border strikes into Russia.
When asked whether Ukraine had any alternative means to halt Russia’s offensive in Kharkiv, Minister Tanner replied, “As a neutral country, we do not wish to comment on that.”
Minister Tanner added that at least she was “pleased that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clarified that NATO will not send troops to Ukraine.”
In a press conference on June 6, Stoltenberg stated that NATO has no plans to deploy ground forces to Ukraine. Despite this, French President Emmanuel Macron later indicated that France is forming an international coalition to send military trainers to Ukraine to assist with training and equipping its military.
President Macron is one of the Western leaders with a bold stance on the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Earlier this year, he declared that France and Western countries do not rule out the possibility of deploying troops to Ukraine. Recently, he has continued to persuade NATO allies to allow Ukraine to use supplied weapons to attack military targets within Russian territory.
Nevertheless, France and its allies maintain that they are not parties to the Ukraine conflict and do not seek a conflict with Russia.
Russia has warned that the West’s green light for Kyiv could lead to serious consequences, even a world war.
Previously, Moscow has repeatedly stated that attacks on Russian territory are a red line that Ukraine and the West should not cross, as it could compel Russia to retaliate with nuclear weapons.
However, according to the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW), on June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to “indirectly indicate” that Ukraine’s use of Western weapons to attack targets within Russian territory has not crossed the “red line.”
ISW noted: “Putin stated that Russia’s nuclear doctrine calls for the use of nuclear weapons only in cases that threaten Russia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He believes such a case has not occurred, and therefore, Russia does not necessarily have to use nuclear weapons.”
According to ISW, this statement by Putin indicates a significant shift in the perspective of Russian officials. Previously, Putin and Kremlin officials repeatedly warned of using nuclear weapons if the West allowed Ukraine to attack Russian territory with supplied weapons.
