President Zelensky urges NATO countries, considered allies of Ukraine, to allow Ukraine to use Western long-range attack weapons to target military objectives in Russia.
“We know every concentration point of Russian troops. We know all the areas from where Russian missiles and combat aircraft are launched,” President Zelensky said in a speech on May 26.
“Eliminating these forces, thereby saving thousands of lives and ensuring that the expansion of the war is halted, is entirely a political decision. A decision that must be made,” Zelensky added.
Ukraine’s allies are currently discussing Kiev’s call to “green light” the use of Western weapons to attack military targets within Russian territory. German Green Party member of parliament Anton Hofreiter recently voiced support for this idea to protect Ukrainian civilians.
In his speech, Zelensky also urged Ukraine’s partners to “accelerate” and increase the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.
Ukrainian parliament member Yehor Cherniev stated that the US has begun discussing the decision to allow Ukraine to use Washington’s weapons to strike targets within Russian territory.
The US and its allies have insisted that Ukraine must commit to using Western-supplied weapons only within its territory. However, the UK recently became the first NATO member to declare that it does not oppose Ukraine using supplied weapons to target Russian territory.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier last week that Washington is ready to discuss with Kiev the possibility of using American weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed opposition to Ukraine using Western weapons to target Russian territory.
Scholz stated that Germany has set clear rules for Ukraine, prohibiting the use of German weapons on Russian soil, and he sees no reason to change this. The German Chancellor added that his policy is to prevent the conflict from escalating into a “large-scale war.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared last week that “it is time” for the US-led alliance members to reconsider their policies and allow Ukraine to freely use Western weapons for deeper attacks into Russian territory.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and other Italian officials have criticized Stoltenberg’s statement on allowing Kiev to use Western weapons, warning against escalating tensions with Moscow.
“I don’t know why Stoltenberg said that; I think we must be extremely cautious. NATO must maintain its stance and not signal any concessions,” Prime Minister Meloni told an Italian television channel on May 26.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also affirmed that the weapons Italy sends to Kiev are only to be “used within Ukrainian territory.”
Russian Security Council Vice Chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned that if the US strikes Russian targets, it would mean “starting a new world war.” This warning came after Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski stated that the US has said if Moscow uses nuclear weapons, Washington will respond by using conventional weapons against Russian forces in Ukraine.
